Survivors
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Sometimes the end of a war is not the end of the story. Sometimes, the REAL story doesn't begin until after the shooting stops. But one thing is certain: Love will find a way. This story starts ten years after the end of Mass Effect 3. The green ending took place. Lots of things changed, but others stay the same. OCs with guest stars. F Shep/Garrus ((Warning: Spoilers ahead. LOTS))
1. Chapter 1

**Survivors**

A Mass Effect Fanfiction

"Commander."

The voice of the officer of the watch pulled Commander Mornis out of his perusal of the daily reports. Spirits, how he hated paperwork, but it seemed to be his life now. What was the saying? 'The more things changed, the more they stayed the same'? Yes, that was it. He smiled slightly. Humans. He looked up at his XO and nodded. The Command and Control Center for the small frigate was laid out in typical fashion. The commander's post oversaw all the various aspects of the CiC. It made it...interesting sometimes trying to get to the helm, but hey, it was traditional and it worked. Most of the time. He did not banish his smile as he looked to his XO but he did moderate it.

"Yes?" He inquired calmly.

"We have something, sir." The XO, a solemn female named Krisal did not smile. Then again, she rarely did these days. He understood. Oh, he understood. FAR too many of his crew had lost family during the war. Ten years simply wasn't enough time to put it behind them. Even with everything that had happened, even with what Shepard had done, it just wasn't going to go away quickly. "Tracking reports picked it up and..." She did not -barely- snarl. "Our...colleague...scanned it and reported life signs."

"XO, I don't like it any more than you do." The commander of the frigate _Wings of Xenabia_ said quietly. "But we _do_ need the help." She nodded slowly.

"I know, sir." She said softly as he stepped down from the command dais and came to her side to look over what she had. "It just..." She shook her head.

"It goes against the grain." Commander Mornis said with a nod. "I know. The last time I saw one of them, I was stationed on the _Duty of Primarch Vidos_." He sighed. "He was a good ship, but the firestorm at Sol was way too much for any hope. One solid blast from a capital class tore us to pieces. At least most of the crew got off. Then to be picked up by _Geth_ of all things. _That_ was a shock." He said with a sigh.

"Yeah." Krisal nodded. "I was on the _Raptor's Claw_. We took a lot of damage, but the ship survived until Hackett ordered us to break off. I..." She shook her head. "I will do my duty, sir."

"That is all I can ask, XO." The commander said mildly. "What did we get?"

"Looks like debris from a ship, or... No." Krisal said slowly. "Arcturus Station was near here."

The ship and her 'escort' had been slowly sweeping through the Arcturus system on their grim task. A sad task, but one that any military worth anything put a LOT of effort into. Recovery of personnel, living or otherwise. But after so long, the Search and Rescue frigate was more used as a Search and Recovery ship. They were used to it. They didn't like it, but they understood it. Every Turian aboard had volunteered for the job.

"Yeah." Commander Mornis said with a scowl. "They never had a chance."

That was putting it very mildly. Arcturus Station had been the Human Alliance's main base of operations in the quadrant. It had housed their government and been the focal point of the military. That had made it a prime target when the Reapers had arrived. While most of the Reaper forces in the area had shot through the system on the way to savage Earth, some had stayed behind to engage the fleets. The human admiral in charge had made a sound move, however heartbreaking. He had sacrificed one fleet so that two others could escape. Hard facts ruled in wartime. But that meant there was a _lot_ of debris in the area. And unrecovered bodies. The humans were still stretched too thin, so the Turian Hierarchy had extended assistance. After all the humans, particularly Shepard, had done, it was the _least_ they could do. They crew understood. But then Obligatha had shown up.

"What does it say?" Commander Mornis asked in a clam voice that he hoped totally hid his anger at their 'escort'.

"It says the readings are faint and...strange." Krisal said with a puzzled look at the sensors. "I doubt we would have picked this up at all. It's tiny, moving and..." She paused in shock. "It's a lifepod! It's intact!"

"It's been ten years. XO." The commander said to quell the excitement that quickly pervaded the CiC. "But you say life signs?" He inquired. The XO nodded and he thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "Helm!" He called. "Plot to intercept. Medical, stand by. Have the docs ready for anything." A chorus of acknowledgments followed his commands as the _Pride of Xenobia_ moved onto a new course. Then everything stopped as the com lit up. Only one entity used _that_ channel. He sighed and hit the acknowledge key himself. "Yes?" he asked quietly.

"There is something very odd about that life pod, commander Mornis." The soft voice that came from the com was all wrong. One did _not_ expect a Reaper -a capital class Reaper at that- to have a female voice. Or to sound worried. "It feels...wrong. We will maintain observation, but be _very_ wary."

"Understood Obligatha." Commander Mornis said quietly.

"It has no feel of Indoctrination." Obligatha sounded confused. "Nor anything else we have encountered. But it does feel... familiar."

"Familiar how?" Commander Mornis asked.

"We do not know." Obligatha said softly. "We are communicating with the others, asking. None of the others we have queried as of yet have any idea. Just be careful, Commander."

"We will." Commander Mornis said with a nod and the com channel went dark again. He shook his head. "Now THAT is one for the record books." He said with a tight grin. "A worried _Reaper_ telling _us_ to be _careful_?" A strained laugh swept the bridge and the tension went down a little.

"I don't know, sir..." Krisal said with a grimace. "Anything that can _worry_ one of them..."

"Point taken, XO." Commander Mornis said quietly. "Battle Ready." The XO nodded and hit the controls that started alert sirens sounding through the ship. What would have been called 'General Quarters' on a human ship had the small frigate's crew racing for their battle stations. Once he was sure they were all in place -and he knew the senior NCO would have anyone's fringes for dessert if they were _not_- he hit the intercom. "Crew of the _Pride of Xenobia_. We have detected life signs from a pod. But our escort is worried. Anything that can worry a Reaper is worrying in and of itself. We are going to go get that pod. But be ready. For anything. We will do our duty. May the Spirits watch over us all."


	2. Chapter 2

"Commander!" XO Krisal's voice was sharp.

"I see it, lieutenant." Commander Mornis' voice was sour. "Off all the lousy..." He shook himself slightly and stared at his screen.

The Turian frigate crew sat poised. The life pod that showed clearly on visual scans now had startled everyone. They had all expected Alliance markings on the pod, not Cerberus ones. The human terrorist group Cerberus had been a menace for decades. Starting just after what the humans called the First Contact War, the splinter group had done all kinds of things to make life miserable for the Council in general and the Turian Hierarchy in particular. With the advent of the Reapers and the open warfare that the group had then espoused, many Turians had felt the way that Mornis felt about them. A plague to be stamped out. Not all humans were to be hated, but Cerberus? Oh yes. The scum were directly responsible for millions of Turian deaths during the war and before. Mornis had hoped that with the end of the Reaper War, that even the fanatics are Cerberus would have found better things to do. Jumping into a black hole naked would have suited him just fine.

"Cerberus!" Krisal spat. "What the _hell_ is a Cerberus pod doing way the heck out here?"

"I don't know." Commander Mornis said softly. "But we better find out. Send a security force to the hangar bay." The LT nodded and bent to her com. The commander scowled at the screen for another moment and then sighed. "We need answers. Helm, match course and speed. Let's see if we can grapple that thing, slow it. Pull it in." Acknowledgements came and he watched as the small ship moved carefully to mirror the life pod's trajectory.

Grappling an object in motion was rarely an easy challenge. Doing so in space, while on the surface seeming a simple thing, was anything but. Sometimes it still came down to sending someone out onto the hull with a rope to make physical contact. The problem wasn't the pod. The problem was that the Wings of Xenobia was much, much more massive that the pod. It took time to... The commander's thoughts paused and he snapped orders as the pod suddenly started to gyrate.

"Back us off!" He called the helm. "Our Eezo core is affecting it! Our mass is making it spin!"

"Yes sir!" The helm Turian called back. He had a tense few moments before the screen showed the pod getting smaller. A sigh of relief came from the conn. "We are clear of it, sir."

"Spirits..." LT Krisal breathed. "How the _heck_ are we going to snatch that thing? A shuttle?" One of the small craft aboard could, technically, match course and speed without causing such a massive change in trajectory.

" I almost wish we had fighters aboard, they could do it for sure. A shuttle could grapple it." Commander Mornis mused. "But would the grapples have enough hold to slow the pod's tumbling? It's moving faster. And... What the-?" He shook his head. "XO? Is that what I think it is?"

"I..." LT Krisal shook her head, perplexed. "I didn't think escape pods carried any other thrusters, sir." They both stared at the small, barely visible puffs of reaction mass that were coming off the pod now.

"It's a Cerberus pod, XO." Commander Mornis said with a sigh. "Spirits only know what they put on that thing."

"Sir!" The sensor tech called. "The tumbling is slowing."

"Huh." Commander Mornis said softly as the pair of officer stared at the screen. Indeed, the pod's tumbles slowed and then stopped. "A stabilization system. Impressive."

"A shuttle then, sir?" Krisal asked softly. "We can match speed easily."

"One mistake and either the pod or the shuttle are scrap." Mornis said, not dismissing the idea. "Who to pilot?"

"Crado." Krisal said without hesitation.

"_Crado_?" Mornis could not restrain a incredulous snort or the look of disbelief he sent at his XO. "You hate his guts."

"Yeah." Krisal said flatly. "But he is the best small craft pilot we have."

"He is still in the brig, isn't he?" Mornis asked with a grimace. "Drunk and disorderly, I believe the charge was?"

"If anyone has a right to drink, sir..." Krisal said sadly. "He does. But that does NOT excuse him from military discipline."

"True." Commander Mornis said with a sigh. "Well... Let me ask our escort." He hit the com and spoke evenly. "Obligatha? Have you been monitoring?"

"The pod is stabilizing." The voice of the Reaper was scarily serene. "Will you be able to recover it?"

"We are discussing that now." Mornis replied. "Can YOU slow it somehow? At the speed it is travelling, one mistake and the pod or any small craft we launch to grapple it will become scrap."

"Checking." The calm voice of the huge artificial intelligence replied. "Yes, we can send a pair of Oculi to grapple it. That will be preferable to any of you organics risking yourselves." The two Turians exchanged a look, but the Reaper wasn't done. "Commander, we have identified the familiarity."

"You have?" Mornis said quickly. "Is it because it is Cerberus?"

"No." Obligatha replied. "The feelings are not like any of the former minions of the pawn known as the Illusive Man. No, this feeling is VERY different." Now the voice sounded almost reverent. "It feels like Shepard."

"_Shepard_?" Krisal hissed and then gulped as she looked at her commander who waved aside the lapse in military decorum.

"Define." Mornis said slowly, aware of a low hum of excitement that slowly pervaded the bride. He doubted that the word would remain on the bridge long. Discipline was one thing, but if there was _anything_ that soldiers did, it was gossip. It would be all over the ship in seconds for sure. Probably all over Council space in an hour. "Shepard is...gone." He said soberly.

"Yes." Now the Reaper's voice held regret. "She sacrificed everything to stop us, to end the cycle. There were several occasions where Shepard talked to my kind. Sovereign, Harbinger, and Luiopsam on Rannoch. There was always a feeling of competence, extreme competence. Not arrogance, but a feeling of..." The Reaper broke off and made a sighing noise. "We cannot define it. We do not understand it now any better than when we first encountered Shepard. We have learned so much, remembered so much that was kept from us by the Catalyst. But we do not understand it."

"A feeling like Sheperd." Mornis mused. "From a _Cerberus_ pod?" He shook his head. "Can we tell how long it has been here?"

"Let us launch the Oculi. One can scan the pod at close range." Obligatha said quietly. "Nothing can hide from them."

"I remember." Mornis said, his voice hardening.

"We...apologize, commander." Obligatha said quickly. "There is so much we must do, to atone, to repair what we have done."

The commander had to nod. It wasn't Obligatha's fault. Or _any_ of the Reaper's fault. Well, except for the Catalyst, and even _now_ Commander Mornis had difficulty thinking in terms of the Citadel having an ancient artificial intelligence living inside it. In the aftermath of the battle of Sol, the revelations of the Catalyst and the nearly endless cycles of harvests had paled in the need to repair and rebuild. Galactic civilization was united like never before but ten years later, the repairs to the mass relay network were barely 20% done, even with Reapers overseeing construction in hundreds of different solar systems. FTL travel wasn't reliant on the mass relay system, but it DID make things so much easier. At least the Council had survived, put into a form of stasis along with the other inhabitants of the Citadel by the catalyst when the Reapers had moved the Citadel to Sol to attempt to finish harvesting humanity. The inhabitants had been found, a week after the battle, very confused but alive.

"Send your ships." Mornis said after a moment. A pair of blips showed up on the screen and Mornis managed not to wince as he saw the two tiny ships move towards his. The last time he had seen them, Oculi had been tearing his cruiser apart at Sol. He knew he was in no danger. Indeed, he could feel there was no hostility in them. The linkage that Sheperd had forged was strong. Even now, scientists and scholars were debating what had happened. Mornis assumed they would be debating for centuries, maybe millennia if Reaper scholars got involved. All he knew was that parts of his body glowed now, not how or why. He also knew he could feel things now, from others organic and non. Sometimes it was a curse, other times it was a blessing.

The two orb shaped ships moved to bracket the pod and slowed to match it's speed. Then one started scanning. Mornis waited for several minutes before the com chimed again.

"Commander!" Obligatha's voice was decidedly worried now. "We have the scans, but we have a situation as well. The life signs are failing. We can pull the pod into your hangar."

"Do it." Mornis snapped. "XO." He called as the two orb ships shot grapples and caught the lifepod in a tight embrace. It slowed and then changed course as the two Oculi maneuvered it carefully towards the Wings of Xenobia.

"On it!" Krisal replied as she bent to her com, updating the medical team. "With your permission, commander?"

"Go." Mornis replied. Krisal nodded and ran for the elevator. "Obligatha?"

"The pod is entering your hangar bay now." Obligatha said calmly. "Do you wish us to recall the Oculi?"

"Please." Mornis replied. "Let's not upset my troops any more than they are."

"Please keep us informed." Obligatha said evenly as the two Oculi, their burden delivered, shot away from his ship at top speed. "We will begun scanning the next grid quadrant." The Reaper turned away from his frigate and started towards the next area to search for remains.

"Thank you." Mornis said quietly. "It is appreciated."

"It is the least we can do, for the harm we have caused." Obligatha replied quietly, then cut the com. The crew on watch stared at each other and then went back to their jobs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hangar Bay - Wings of Xenobia**

Lieutenant Krisal entered the shuttle bay and approached the cluster of troops that had gathered around the quiescent pod. The white and orange markings were distinctive. A team of medics stood ready while a gang of techs were scanning the pod with careful skill. Cerberus had been well known for sneaky traps. Usually ones that exploded and killed lots of Turians.

"Make a hole, people!" A loud voice called and she bit back a smile as a lane cleared between her and the pod. The head NCO aboard, Master Chief Mudok, stood near the pod with... She paused. Hadn't that crazy male been in the brig? She was _sure_ she hadn't ordered his release and the captain hadn't had time either. The NCO nodded at her expression. "Private Crado has more experience with Cerberus than any of us, sir." Krisal nodded and looked at the other.

Private Crado looked like hell. Of course, he rarely looked any other way. His face was a mass of scars and the lack of face paint said he was a renegade, clanless. His scarred red and black battle armor, with it's attached jump jets, proclaimed his history. Only nutballs openly wore Amiger armor these days. Private Crado qualified. She had busted the being no less than four times since he had come aboard. Then she blinked. What was the _Chief_ wearing? Her eyes went wide as she saw the NCO _also_ wearing red and black Amiger armor. His was subtly different. The chief nodded soberly.

"Wasn't important to the operation of the ship, LT." The chief said soberly. He held his Phaeston rifle in a profession grip, one that Krisal noted mirrored Crado's. The chief's rifle had a bayonet attachment, while Crado's had a large scope mounted. "And you may need us. If I hadn't let him out, he would have busted out as soon as he heard about Cerberus and gotten in even more trouble."

"You functional?" Krisal asked the silent private. "You were _very_ drunk last night."

"About 80%." The private replied stiffly. "I don't like you, Ma'am." The private said. "But I like Cerberus less. _Much_ less." Hate colored the male's tone as he turned to look at the pod. "But..." He shook his head. "I don't know if this _is_ Cerberus. Their markings, but...not their style."

"Ah?" Krisal turned to the chief, but he was also looking at the private. After a moment of watching the techs scan the pod carefully. "Can you explain?"

"Odd feeling." Crado said slowly after a moment. "Familiar, but... not..."

"You are kidding." Krisal said softly, but everyone turned to look at her. Her tone was almost scared. "The _Reaper_ said the same thing, Private."

""The _Reaper_ said that?" Mudok asked, dumbfounded. "Spirits..." The chief said in a soft voice.

"Yeah. Glad you are here, chief." LT Krisal said as the head tech turned to her. "Report?"

"No traps detected." The tech said quietly in the absolute silence that fell. "Other than fuel for the thrusters, no explosive potential detected at all. No chemical or biological weapons detected that we have on file."

"That leaves a lot of wiggle room, tech." LT Krisal complained. "Cerberus was always coming up with new and better ways to kill sneakily."

"Nothing we can detect is dangerous, XO." The tech said with quiet conviction. "No explosives, no odd chemicals. Just a lot of medical gear."

"_Medical_ gear?" The chief snapped, but paused as the LT looked at him, "Sorry, sir."

"Not a problem, chief." Krisal said quietly. "Just don't become like him." She waved at Crado whose attention did not waver from the pod. "Suggestions?"

"Only one way to find out, Ma'am." The chief replied. "And the life signs are fading too. Crado." The private nodded, slung his rifle, hit his helmet seals and had his rifle back in hand before the helmet had finished sealing. "Everybody back." He said as he hit his own helmet seals.

The techs beat a hasty retreat to stand with the medics and the security force who stood by the hatch. Ordinarily, the security teams aboard looked fairly competent, but with two Amiger Legion vets in armor standing there, the team looked decidedly out of their depth. Krisal did not move.

"LT." The chief's voice held disapproval. "You should get back."

"I should." Krisal agreed. "But I won't. We need to know."

"Lieutenant, door breaches are what enlisted are for." Private Crado said sternly. "Your job is to lead. If this _is_ a trap, it will likely get you as soon as the hatch opens."

"Shut up and open the hatch, Private Crado." LT Krisal snapped, her patience going.

"I would do what she says, private." Chief Mudok said with a shrug. "She is in command."

"I want my protest logged, chief." Private Crado said as he moved to the hatch. "I have enough trouble without crazy females."

"Crado..." Mudok said, his tone long suffering. "Stop insulting the people in command. No one is going to execute you. But they _will_ make you life hell."

"My life _is_ hell." Crado said in a voice that barely carried to Krisal's ears. Then he became professional. "Standard Cerberus entry panel. Sequence was usually green, green, blue, green. Permission to try?"

"Granted." Krisal said when the chief looked at her. He nodded to the private and drew a bead on the hatch with his rifle. The private hit a sequence and stepped back and to the side, clearing the chief's line of fire while bringing up his own rifle. The hatch opened smoothly and nothing happened. Crado held up a hand in question and Krisal nodded and spoke again. "Go."

The private stepped forward, his rifle ready, then paused at the hatch. He seemed to stagger for a moment and then stepped into the pod. For a moment, he was out of sight and then he was back, his rifle hanging loose and his entire posture one of amazement.

"Chief..." Crado's voice was stunned. "Tell me I am dreaming..."

"Crado, yes you are awake. What's up?" The chief did not lower his rifle.

"One human female, connected to a _bunch_ of medical gear." The private stepped away from the pod and he was shaking his head. "No traps. No _room_ for them. I..." He shook himself quickly and then spoke in a very different voice. "LT, I need to speak to the commander." The LT stiffened, she had never heard the private speak like that. Calm, assured, and totally in control.

"Chain of command, private." The chief said slowly.

"Need to know, Chief." Crado replied evenly. "It's Anya." The _chief_ staggered as if struck.

"You are _kidding_!" The chief stepped forward and only massive discipline kept him from jumping forward to look for himself. "Crado, if this is some kind of joke..."

"No joke, chief." The private's helmet disappeared back to where it had come from and his face was scared. "LT?"

"What the hell?" Krisal stepped forward waving the techs and medics forward as well. Inside the pod, she could see a human female. The woman was covered in medical gear. "Chief?"

"I..." The chief stepped forward and his posture turned even more shocked as he looked at the woman. "Looks like her, but Crado..."

"I know." Crado said slowly. "Anya is dead."


	4. Chapter 4

"Dead?" Lieutenant Krisal said slowly, not sure she had heard correctly. She waved the medics forward and they scampered in past where Crado and Moduk stood. She craned her neck and shook her head. "That woman is alive according to the readouts."

"Yeah." Crado said softly, he stepped away from the pod as the medical team started working.

"Crado..." Mudok spoke in a hushed voice. "You _know_ Anya is dead. You saw it happen." Crado shook his head savagely and Mudok sighed. "Crado..." A gasp of shock from the pod had all three turning. Crado and Mudok had their rifles ready but no threats presented themselves. Both relaxed slowly when the LT waved at them.

"Medic?" Lieutenant Krisal said softly. The head medic came out of the pod and nodded to the LT.

"Patient is stable, Lieutenant Krisal. She is encased in some kind of sterile field. Nothing I have seen before. The life support machinery was apparently attempting to put her into coldsleep." The medic said slowly. "That is why the lifesigns were disappearing."

"That is good." Krisal said with a smile. "We _do_ have a survivor."

"Ah..." The medic shook his head. "LT... She isn't changed."

"Considering that the woman we knew..." Mudok indicated the now silent Crado with a nod. "...is _dead_. I would consider that a _heck_ of a change."

"No, chief..." The medic shook his head. "Ten years ago, when the pulse hit us, we all changed. Everyone changed. The eyes are one outward sign." The medic waved at his own glowing green eyes. "Our DNA was altered, making us partly synthetic. I don't know how it happened, people are still arguing what Shepard did or did not do and likely will for the rest of time, but..." He shook his head. "This human female shows no signs of altered DNA. We can transport her to sickbay. I recommend we keep her in quarantine."

"Is she a threat?" Krisal asked, unsure.

"No." The medic said quietly. "As heavily sedated as she is, she likely won't wake for days. I don't know, but _we_ may be a threat to _her_. The readings from a lot of the instrumentation in this thing don't make a whole lot of sense to me. We will need assistance. At the _very_ least, we will need a specialist and more probably, a human physician. Our med banks are complete but we need more to be sure that we can tend her."

"It's got to be a Cerberus trap." Crado said slowly. "They wouldn't have saved her for anything else." He had his rifle at the ready again.

"Crado..." Mudok said in warning. "Calm down."

"I..." Crado shook his head savagely and then slumped. "Yes, chief. I'll... I'll stow my gear and go back to the brig." Krisal stared at him.

"Crado..." Mudok said softly. "You need to talk to the commander."

"I..." Crado shook himself savagely. "I can't, chief. Not now."

"Crado." Mudok's voice turned flat. "What would _she_ want you to do?"

"You fight _dirty_ chief." Crado said with a sigh. "LT?" He asked.

"You knew this woman." Krisal asked slowly. "When?"

"During the war." Crado said quietly. "I..." He shook his head. "LT, I can't talk about that."

"It's been _ten_ years." Krisal said dubiously.

"Security classifications won't expire for another ninety, Ma'am." The chief said diffidently. "And he takes security _very_ seriously. We all do. It was all that kept many of us alive."

"Who is _we_?" Krisal asked somewhat suspiciously as a specially rigged quarantine gurney approached the pod and she moved aside to let it pass. Crado and Mudok moved with her. "Private?" Crado did not answer and she turned to the chief. "Chief?"

"Lieutenant..." Mudok said slowly. "We can't talk about it." He broke off and shrugged.

"Can you talk about it with Commander Mornis?" Krisal asked softly. "He _is_ in command." Mudok looked at Crado who looked away for a moment before nodding. "And why are you deferring to _him_?" She demanded of the chief.

"Because he _was_ a general, Ma'am." Krisal stiffened at the chief's words. "He knows more about classification issues than I do."

"A _general_?" Krisal snapped. "No way!"

"You are _not_ the first CO he has mouthed off at, Ma'am." The chief said with a small sad smile. "He even told Primarch Victus to shove it once. In public, no less." Krisal shook her head, shocked.

"He wanted me to lie." Crado said softly. "I was not going to demean the people who fought beside us with lies. Not like that. If he had given me any warning, I would have told him that in private, but no, he sprung it on me as soon as I got off the ship. Press everywhere and all... To heck with him, and it. Code be damned, there are some orders I _will not_ follow."

"Crado..." Chief Mudok sighed. "He wanted you to _defuse_ some tension, to calm some people who worried about the Krogan asking for a new world. Not lie."

"He wanted me to lie." Crado said softly. "I'll be in the brig." He turned to go and froze as the gurney came out, a sleeping human woman ensconced within. "Ah...Anya..." He stared at the woman, his face desolate. He staggered a little and then stepped aside. There was a wealth of pain in his expression. The LT made a quick decision.

"Private, chief..." Krisal spoke quietly as the med team followed the gurney. "Stow your gear, then come to the bridge. This is above my pay grade, I'll talk to the commander." Crado nodded and without a backward glance, left the bay. "Chief..."

"Yeah, LT?" The NCO said with a sigh.

"They were more than friends." It wasn't a question.

"I never asked." The chief said with a shrug. "Didn't want to know. But yeah. People found comfort where they could, Ma'am. It was... a bad time."

"I know. I am not criticizing." Krisal said sadly. "No one came out of that maelstrom unchanged. But... A _general_?" She asked, her expression shocked. She couldn't think of anyone else offhand who was quite so... un-officer-ish.

"Yeah." The chief said sadly. "A damn good one. Saved my tail, and a bunch of people. Kept us all alive doing what we had to do. Kicked our tails into gear more than once. When he fell on hard times, I asked for him. I try to keep him out of trouble. He is just...so..."

"Yeah." Krisal said with a snort. "I'll get you some time with the commander. Try not to let him mouth off. I get the feeling this is going to be bad enough _without_ him getting in more trouble."

"Didn't know you were a prophet, Ma'am." The chief said with a smile that did not touch his eyes. "A dead woman alive, in a Cerberus pod. And _not_ changed? What the hell?" He asked nobody as he strode off.

"Hell indeed, Chief." LT Krisal said with a sigh as she waved the security team lead over. "Until we know what is going on here, no one gets in this without authorization, clear?" The sergeant nodded to her and she straightened herself up. "Ah well..." She shook her head, muttering as she left. "A general..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thirty minutes later**

"Okay, chief." Commander Mornis said as soon as the Mudok and Crado had entered the briefing room and Lieutenant Krisal had. "I thought we were going to keep the private's history between us." He glanced at Crado but the private did not speak. Crado wore fatigues now instead of armor.

"No excuse, sir." Chief Mudok had changed out of his Amiger armor, but he wore standard armor and had his rifle slung. "But... This was one _hell_ of a shock."

"You know our survivor?" Mornis asked. "Krisal said you called her Anya."

"Yeah, Anya. That was the only name I knew. She was an Alliance N7 operative. A biotic." Mudok said slowly. The commander jerked and then nodded. N7 operative missions were usually classified _way_ beyond Top Secret. That they existed was not, but what they had done, and how? Oh yes. That explained the chief's and the private's security concerns. "You know Crado and I worked with what were called the N7 Special Ops teams." The commander nodded and Mudok continued. "She and Crado here saved what was left of my team on Castellus when the Reapers had us cut off. I was acting lead for a security detachment guarding a bunch of engineers who were surveying a bridge site when the coms died. Before we knew what was happening, we were under attack. Most of the engineers and half my team were dead before we knew we were under attack. And then we were stuck. We were dead, ship was gone, most of us hurt. We held out till nightfall, and tried to break contact, but couldn't. We were down to three effectives when it happened." He shook his head and stopped speaking for a moment.

"What happened?" The commander asked calmly.

"We were being harried. Husks and the things that we found out later were called 'Cannibals', then a pair of Reaperized Turians... Then a huge...thing... What we called a 'Brute' later. It appeared, charged and stomped two of my guys to paste before they could move. Our slug just bounced off. Then it hesitated, seemed to turn green and _exploded_." The commander jumped a little, caught up in the story.

"Who?" Mornis asked.

"Anya and Crado." The chief said, nodding to his silent companion. "They came out of the night and saved our tails. We couldn't get back to the fleet, so we went with her. She had a small ship, and it was seriously crowded. She was flying it and there must have been thirty of us crammed into the storage compartments. Most wounded. We did what we could... But..."

"I understand." Commander Mornis said when the chief stopped talking. "And when you got to the Alliance?"

"My team was gone." The chief said hollowly. "The last survivor -Muflo- died on the way despite everything we could do. I didn't know what we were fighting or why. But... On the way to the rendezvous Anya had, Crado told us about Palaven. What was happening there. Those of us who were left were _mad,_ sir. No organization, no teams, just a group of us who _seriously_ wanted payback."

"And the Forces just let you go?" Mornis asked, unsure.

"It was chaos, sir." Mudok said quietly. "No one had orders for us. The medics took what was left of our wounded and we were left to sit in a cargo bay. It was all a mess. Then Crado came back." He laughed a little. "I never even saw him leave. Sneaky male."

"I am not the one who flies up and hits people with my fists or my rifle." Crado said with a small smile that vanished quickly. "You are supposed to _shoot_ with it, not hit people with it. Almost makes me wonder if you are a Krogan sometimes."

"Well, you just sit back and obliterate things." Mudok agreed. "Then I run in to clean up the leftovers. And I am still ahead." It had the sound of an old rivalry. Crado snorted as he shook his head.

"You both are _nuts_." Mornis said with a sigh, but he was smiling at the banter. "Any member of the Amiger -by definition- is nuts." He shook himself. "But you were saying?"

"True, sir." Mudok said as Crado seemed to shut down again. "I was in a different unit, and Crado here never told me his rank until much later. He was about as talkative then as now. He was a Colonel and his brigade had been wiped out. He was half dead when Anya found him being eaten by a Cannibal."

"Where?" Mornis asked slowly.

"We were stationed on the border. Place doesn't even have a name, just a number. Inhospitable chunk of rock set nicely as a strategic choke point." Crado said softly. "We had some garbled details of a mess in the Batarian's space. They sent us, a brigade of the Legion, to hold the a planetary garrison on the Batarian border. And we did. We held it to the last soldier. Our transport died in the initial attack. Not that we would have run, we were Amiger."

"I am sorry." Mornis said in the silence that fell.

"I have been dead since my HQ fell, commander." Crado said softly. "What was left of me died when I heard about Palaven. My entire clan died in the initial onslaught. They lived on the Amiger base. I found out...later... None of them even tried to flee." He shook his head, and tears were falling. "Not even Mori or Nila..." The commander looked at the crying male and then at the chief who looked worried.

'His kids.' The Chief mouthed. "Crado... Even only ten and eight, they knew about service. They were soldiers, small soldiers, but soldiers. You taught them well."

"I taught them how to _die_. They were too small to heft rifles, so they picked up pistols and fought!" Crado snapped, then shook himself. "And died! I... Mudok... I can't..."

"_At ease_, private." The commander snapped. Crado jerked erect, a lifetime of discipline snapping him out of his grief. Mornis continued in a calm, clear voice. "What happened to your family was bad. Everyone lost _someone_ on Palaven. That does _not_ give you the _right_ to just slack off on your duty."

"What do _you_ know about duty?" Crado snapped right back. "How many of _your_ comrades have you held, trying to stuff their guts back in while they died? How many of your friends have you had to leave _behind_ to die or _worse_ because the evac shuttle can only remain still for five seconds without being blown out of the sky? How many of your _friends_ have you watched blown into bloody chunks while you came out unscathed?"

"I haven't been where you were, private." Commander Mornis said, calming himself with effort. Arguing with Crado never helped. "But don't you _dare_ think you are the only one who lost kin on Palaven or elsewhere. I _watched_ the transport with my family blown out of the sky over Menea, Private." Mornis said softly, his tone dangerous. "They had come up with a group to visit the fleet. An authorized visit. No one thought it would be dangerous. If only Vakarian's warnings had been heeded."

"Yeah. Hindsight is always clearer than foresight." Crado sighed and relaxed. "I am sorry, commander. No excuse."

"No one has recovered, private." Mornis said softly. His voice moderating. "It... It's not something you can recover from quickly, if at all. I _do_ understand. I _will_ cut you some slack, but that slack is _not_ infinite. Clear?"

"You have done way too much for me already, commander." Crado said softly. "I hoped this job would help bring some closure. There were no bodies left of my family, but maybe I could get _someone_ closure and that would help me."

"Me too." Commander Mornis said just as softly. "Anyway..." He sighed. "Back to our mysterious survivor. An Alliance N7?" Crado nodded and Mudok spoke.

"Yeah, she and Crado had this crazy idea, a spec ops job." Mudok said soberly. "Her ship wasn't that big, but it could hold a dozen of us. And it was a stealth design. She and Crado were in command. He was brevetted to the rank of General for the mission. It stuck."

"Yeah." Crado made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan. "All I wanted to do was die. So what did you crazy fools do? Put me in charge."

"Okay." Mornis nodded. "That explains the general. And his attitude explains why he is a private again. What happened to Anya?"

"We got complacent is what happened..." Crado said in a very low voice. "I got complacent. And she paid for it. We were tasked to hit a Cerberus lab on the planet Sanctum." Crado said quietly. "We knew Cerberus was studying Reaper tech there. Shepard had hit the place just after the onset of the war, recovered some samples and HQ determined _really_ didn't want Cerberus to keep doing what they were doing." He shook his head. "So every so often, they sent teams in to disrupt the operations. Ours was the last one to hit it before the Shepard and the Alliance Fifth Fleet punched out Cerberus HQ. Wish I had been there." He said with a grimace. "Hate those racist bastards."

"Crado..." Mudok said quietly.

"I know, I know." Crado sighed. "Anyway, four of us. Anya was lead. I was recon. T-9-001, who had joined us after Sheperd dealt with the Reaper threat at Rannoch, was our heavy tech. I swear that Geth could THINK it's rifle rounds into his targets. And that is not even counting It's drones, or turrets, or..." He shrugged and smiled a little. "Last but biggest, we had Brutiz as our muscle. He was -is still for all I know- a Krogan, and just as crazy as the rest of us."

"That is an odd lineup." Commander Mornis said quietly. "It worked?"

"Yeah, actually." Crado said with a shrug. "Better than anyone thought. We all knew we couldn't beat the Reapers conventionally. Even the Krogan realized they couldn't do it alone. The Geth..." He shook his head with a sad smile. "That Geth was _weird_. It tried so hard to be part of the group. It even tried to get drunk with the Krogan members of the team once,set up some kind of EM generator to mimic the effects." Mornis stared at him and Crado nodded, an actual smile on his face. "Didn't work, but the Krogan appreciated it. Especially when it learned to head but."

"Head but?" Mornis said in a dazed voice. "I don't want to know."

"No, you don't." Crado said with a sigh. "Luckily, we had ANOTHER Geth alone who knew how to make on the spot repairs to broken hardware platforms. Geth have strong shields, but T-9-001 was always getting it's neck armature broken."

"Ah... okay... Were there any Quarians on your team" Mornis asked after a moment. "I mean, I had heard..." He broke off as Crado nodded.

"Yeah, a husband and wife team." Crado said quietly. "Scarily competent techs, and decent shots too. They didn't trust the Geth, but they DID work with them. Raan'ita was our team medic, and Joruz was our head tech. Neither was with us on that jaunt, both had been recalled to Rannoch to help out the refits of the Quarian fleets. They wanted to stay, but Anya and I persuaded them to go. We were losing people and..." He broke off, and looked away for a moment. "Well..." He actually looked embarrassed.

"What, Crado?" Mudok. "I knew they had left, but not why."

"Pregnant Quarian has no place in a battlezone." Crado said simply. Mudok and Mornis both goggled at him. "Their suit's contraceptives failed at just about the same time. Neither had been keeping track. Lots on their minds, and they found solace in each other's arms. Their quarters were a clean room, they could unsuit there. Anya was... annoyed with them. So was I, but it was more about losing the personnel. We needed them but _Spirits_ I am glad there were not there for the mission where we lost Anya."

"So... You hit the lab." Mornis said quietly.

"Yeah we did." Crado said with a nod. "Should have known there was a problem right off. It was too quiet. I mean, a human, a Turian, a Geth and Krogan -all armed to the teeth- show up and _no_ alarms go off? There were no troops."

"None?" Mornis asked.

"Yeah, and there was a reason for it." Crado said soberly. "We knew that Cerberus had been working around the Reapers, maybe _with_ them. We were not sure."

"They were pawns." Mornis said slowly. "Dangerous pawns."

"Yeah." Crado said with a nod. "But at the time, we didn't know. We hit the computers and found them gutted. No information at _all_. The systems had been purged. At that point we knew it was a trap and called for evac. The moment we _did_, all hell broke loose. I had heard stories, read some of Shepard's reports, but I had never seen a Collector. If not for Anya, we would have been overwhelmed in the first few seconds. Her fields kept them off us for the few seconds we needed to reorder and fight." His voice was hushed now. "They came out of nowhere. And they just kept coming."

"How many?" Mornis asked quietly.

"Dunno." Crado said sadly. "Didn't stop running or shooting to count. Lots." He shrugged. "My helmet recorders saw fifty of their troopers. About thirty of their abominations, the ones that explode. Luckily we had all read Shepard's reports, so not even Brutiz tried to melee those. And then the big ones." Crado shuddered a little. "I used up all of my missiles trying to keep the flying ones away from us. I killed...three? Four? I dunno. Lots of smoke, lots of jamming. At least two of the big gun platform things, the ones called Scions. But we were falling back in order, covering each other. Then I heard Anya scream. She was caught in a web of some kind. I blew it apart and Brutiz and T-9-001 gave me cover while I tended her, but she had been hit, bad. Her barriers had failed and she was bleeding from her head and stomach. She told me to leave her and I told her to shove it. I picked her up and heard the evac call for extraction. I started running for the shuttle, then something hit me and the next thing I knew, Brutiz was carrying me into the shuttle. I looked back and Anya was lying there, not moving. Her icon on my HUD was dark. No life signs. I tried to go back. But trying to wrestle a Krogan was pointless. She had ordered him to pull me out when I was hit, he told me later. Well, after I had calmed down a bit. It... it took a while...They sedated me, disarmed me and I _still_ nearly throttled Brutiz when he explained. He stood there and let me. I... did not handle it well."

"I bet." Mornis said with sympathy. "So she was dead?"

"Everyone thought so." Crado said with a shudder. "If she _wasn't_, wouldn't they have...processed her or whatever the Collectors _did_?"

"Alive or dead, they would have." Mornis said with a shudder. "At least that _was_ what they did. We need to figure this out. And figure out why she hasn't been changed like the rest of us."

"Yes sir." Crado said quietly. "Orders?"

"Right." Mornis said slowly. "I am going to send off a report to HQ, and I assume they will bump it up to the Alliance and maybe the Council for all I know. They will probably send a team of their own. This is big, Crado. A dead human woman reborn. Just like Shepard. No wonder Obligatha felt oddness from the pod."

"_If_ it really _is_ Anya." Crado said softly.

"Right." Mornis said with a shudder. "Should we keep her under guard?"

"If it is Anya..." Crado said slowly. "A guard won't have a chance. She could do things with her mind that were just unreal. We made jokes about her flipping tanks but... that was not far from reality."

"Would you?" Mornis asked carefully. "Have a chance I mean?"

"I don't know, sir." Crado said honestly. "If it _is_ the woman I knew, then yes. If not, then no. I..." He slumped a bit. "I couldn't pull the trigger on her either way, sir. Even if given a direct order, I couldn't, sir."

"Well..." Mornis said soberly. "Maybe that is for the best."

"Sir?" Crado asked, his tone suspicious.

"We don't _want_ to hurt her." Mornis said gently. "But we need to keep her secure and under observation. So a security escort is warranted, even while she is in Sick Bay. So your orders are as follows: Stay with her. If she wakes, try to find out what happened, gently. But under _no_ circumstances are you to let her out of your sight."

"Yes sir." Crado said softly. "Uh, sir...?" He asked softly.

"I am not going to ask, private." Mornis said gently. "It is none of my business."

"Thank you, sir." Crado said, then he stiffened to attention and saluted, his stance and attitude far cleaner than it had been.

"just don't cross the docs." Mornis said with a scowl. "You are there to watch Anya, not to get in the docs' way. Clear?" Crado nodded and Mornis returned the salute. "You are dismissed, private. Chief, a moment."

"Sir?" Mudok said after Crado had left.

"If she is a hostile, can we stop her?" Mornis asked carefully. "Without killing her?"

"Honestly, sir?" Mudok said quietly. "She was a biotic N7, so... If she is as capable as she was... Probably not." The commander slumped and nodded. "You want me to lay some contingency plans?"

"I _don't_ want you to." Mornis said heavily. "But yes." Mudok nodded and saluted. The commander returned it and then sank back in his chair as the chief left the room. "Now... I try to figure out _how_ the _heck_ I am going to explain _this_ to Command..."


	6. Chapter 6

**The next day**

"Any change, Private?" The concerned voice pulled Crado out of his musing. He jerked and sat up straight, looking at Lieutenant Krisal, who had entered. She shook her head at his expression. "At ease, Private. How long since you slept?"

"Eight hours, Ma'am. The docs set up a bunk in a storeroom for me with monitors keyed to the quarantine field." Crado said in a careful voice. "As for her...?" He nodded to the human female in the medical bed nearby. The quarantine field that sparkled around the bed was only faintly visible, but the warning lights were clear. "No change. The docs say the sedatives she has in her system might have knocked out a thresher maw. They have to let the drugs filter out slow or it will cause complications. The docs told you and the commander what they found." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Krisal said slowly. "Evidence of torture and odd implants." The female Turian was under tight control, but Crado could see the rage in her eyes.

"She would have resisted." Crado said, his gaze going far away. "There is simply no way that Anya would have just laid back and _let_ someone do those kinds of things to her. She would have fought."

"Sounds like a good soldier." Krisal said slowly. She would have said something else, except Crado made a face. "What?" She asked carefully.

"She wasn't a good soldier." Crado said softly. "She was the best I have ever seen. So much better than me... Soldiers are supposed to work as part of a team. I... can't anymore. I just can't." He shook his head. "I need to apologize, Lieutenant. I know I have been a jerk."

"You wanted to die with your men." Krisal said softly. "Or your clan." Crado nodded. "That is why you scored the paint off your scales."

"I am alone, Ma'am." Crado said softly. "Better this way. People who are still alive should get the chance to live."

"Private..." Lieutenant Krisal said gently. "You _are_ alive. Dying is easy. But since when did _any_ of us take an easy path?"

"You remind me of her, Lieutenant." Crado said with a small, fleeting smile as he looked back at the woman in the bed. "I was a mess. I went down and woke up with her slathering medi-gel all over me. She just wouldn't let up. Wouldn't let me quit."

"How did she find you? Or can you talk about that?" Krisal asked softly. "I mean... I know a lot of what you nuts did is classified _way_ too high for me to ever see."

"I take it people know I was Spec Ops?" Crado said, his voice resigned.

"Kind of hard to hide it when you show up in Amiger armor." Krisal said pointedly. "And where the _heck_ did you stash that stuff? If anyone can hide guns and armor on the ship, we have problems."

"Not stashed. It was in the armory, Ma'am." Crado said, his gaze pulled back to the woman in the bed. What had he just heard? Was the woman moving? "Chief put my gear with his, and gave me access. It's not a lot, just the armor, my rifle, couple hundred thermal clips and fifty stimpacks."

"Stim packs..." Krisal said, her face going hard. "You hid controlled substances."

"Yes, Ma'am. In a code sealed storage locker, with the commander's blessing." Crado said simply, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the sleeping... No! She wasn't sleeping. "Lieutenant! Get out of here!" He snapped as the woman in the bed seemed to levitate. The human's eyes were closed, but she was wreathed in a odd black... Crado hissed in shock and fear and yelled at Krisal. "_Move!_" He grabbed Krisal and shoved her towards the door as the quarantine field shattered. Krisal did not argue, she ran. Crado waited until she was out the door before hitting the seal button and turning back to the bed.

The woman he knew as Anya was hanging in mid air, suspended by her biotics. He watched with no small amount of fear as the black tendrils of power ate into the surroundings. 'Annihilation Field', Anya had called it. He knew how dangerous that field was. He had seen it kill all kinds of bad guys, but only under her control. Without her control? This was bad.

"Anya." He called, trying to speak calmly. "Wake up. I know you are scared, I know you are confused, but you need to wake up. Anya, please..." The woman didn't seem to hear him, just hung there in midair. He jumped as a speaker hissed to life.

"Private Crado!" The voice of the ship's commander came from the intercom. "Report!"

"She is not awake, sir." Crado did not take his eyes off the black tendrils. They were not moving, but he knew his life was in grave danger. " Her biotics are active. I think she is reacting unconsciously, to protect herself. After what the docs found, I am not surprised."

"Are you in danger?" Commander Mornis said quietly.

"Yes sir." Crado said softly. "And anyone else who comes in will be as well. Her field is eating everything but the deck plates." He watched as a bank of medical monitors simply vanished.

"Private..." The commander sounded sick. "Is she a threat to the ship?"

"I..." Crado shook his head but then nodded. "Yes sir."

"You know what we have to do, Private Crado." Commander Mornis said sadly. "Get out of there."

"Sir, I..." Crado shook his head. "I can get through to her."

"Crado." Mornis' voice was cold now. "Tell me true. Can you stop her?"

"I think so. Let me try to wake her up, sir. Please?" He begged. "I can't physically stop her without getting fried by her biotics, but I _may_ be able to get her to stop herself. If nothing else, you lose a headache." He said with a small, sad smile.

"Not funny, Private." The commander said slowly. "I haven't lost any of the crew, despite _some_ of their best efforts. I can give you ten minutes, Private. No more. Then we are venting the room." Crado swallowed a little. Lack of air would kill as surely as a bullet or blade. Of course, _he_ wasn't carrying an air pack either. He hadn't thought about it, not in the middle of the ship. Hindsight and all that...

"Understood sir." Crado said softly as she looked at the woman who hung in mid air. "Can I have some privacy? This is..."

"Private." Commander Mornis said softly. "You know better than that."

"Right." Crado said softly. "Thank you, sir. For trying to help my sorry fringe." He shook himself and nodded to the motionless woman. "Anya, I don't know if you can hear me or not. I have missed you. Oh _Spirits_, woman, I have missed you. You have got to wake up, Anya. Please wake up." The woman did not respond and he sighed and spoke softly. "Anya! Please! He screamed as the black field slowly encroached on his position. "Por favor... Despertarse! Por favor!" He cried, hoping he remembered the Earth language properly. ((Translation: Please, wake up! Please!))

He had never found out exactly where she had been born. Earth of course, somewhere on the South American Continent. She had been very tightlipped about where she had grown up. But that odd language she used regularly had intrigued him enough that he had learned some of the 'Spanish' as she called it. He hoped it would get through. But the woman did not respond. He shook himself and nodded.

"I lost you once, I won't let you go again." Crado said softly. "Please wake up, Anya. Please?" He was crying now. He did not react as the speaker hissed to life again.

"Private." The commander's voice was sad. "Get out of there."

"I cannot obey that order, sir." Crado said softly. "I am sorry sir, and I mean no insubordination. But I cannot. Do what you must."

"Crado..." The commander sighed and spoke evenly. "Venting now." A faint hiss started to sound and Crado nodded. It wouldn't take long, but he had to try until he couldn't try anymore.

"Anya..." Crado called, his heart in his voice. "Anya mi amor... Por favor, mi amor. Te necesito. Ayuda me por favor! Anya! Por favor!" He froze as the woman groaned. ((Translation: Anya my love. Please my love. I need you. Help me, please. Anya, please!))

"I..." Her eyes fluttered. "C...Crado...?" She opened her eyes and her biotics snapped off. She fell to the bare deck, crying out in shock and pain as she landed badly.

"Commander!" Crado snapped. "She is awake!" The hissing stopped. He darted to her side and held her as she started to cry. "Anya... Oh Anya... It's okay. Shh..."

"No..." She said as she clung to him. "No, it's not and it won't be, ever again..."

"No one will hurt you again, mi amor." Crado said gently as he rocked the sobbing woman. "No one."

"Ah Crado..." Anya said after several minutes. "I can't see."

"I know." Crado said gently. "The docs found evidence that someone tampered with your optic nerves. Who did it?"

"I don't know." Anya said as she shuddered. "I woke up in a cell. I remembered you getting shot, Brutiz grabbing you. I heard you yell my name, then...It hurt. A lot. Madre de Dios, it hurt..."

"Oh Anya..." Crado hugged her gently. "I am sorry. I thought you were dead. I didn't have any life readings on my HUD when they slammed the hatch in my face. I tried to get back, to look for you. They wouldn't let me. I... didn't take that well."

"Oh Crado." Anya said, her sightless eyes seeking his. "What did you do?" She asked, her tone turning resigned.

"I...Um..." Crado squirmed a bit under her blind glare. "Well..."

"Crado." Anya said soberly. "Blind or no, I _can_ still kick your tail up between your ears. Talk."

"I went crazy." Crado said softly. "They wound up confining me to quarters, under sedation. They did a full psyche eval on me and I flunked it, big time. I knew that letting you into my heart was a mistake. But I wouldn't have changed it for the universe. You made me whole again. And then I lost you." He hugged her gently. "I would have _gladly_ changed places with you, Anya."

"They didn't want a male, Crado." Anya said, her tone fearful. "They needed a female."

"What?" Crado asked, ashen faced. "What do you mean?"

"They never talked to me." Anya said slowly. "It was all automated. Mechs were the only things I saw. Until... I woke up and couldn't see anymore." She shuddered a bit and Crado held her. "But it was weird. They were not any mechs I knew. And the colors were not any I knew either. No corporation, and certainly not Cerberus."

"So..." Crado mused. "What happened?"

"I didn't understand what was happening at first. I don't know how long it took me to overcome the drugs I was on either." Anya said slowly. "But I _do_ remember looking at myself a few times and seeing my belly big."

"Your...belly?" Crado asked, unsure. Then comprehension dawned, with it rage. "Spirits...I will find them and kill them! All of them!" Hate swelled in his voice. Anya recoiled away from him and he relaxed, his tone going regretful. "Anya... It's okay. Oh Anya... I am sorry..."

"I don't know how many times, Crado." Anya said sadly. "How long has it been?" Crado looked away from her and her voice turned sharp. "Crado. How long?" She demanded.

"It's been ten years, Anya." Crado said softly. Anya stiffened in his arms and then she collapsed, crying. "It's okay, Anya. It will be okay." He soothed her as she cried. "The war is over, we won."

"We did?" Anya asked. "Well..." She said slowly. "I assumed we had or that we were fighting still. The Crucible worked?" She was trying to keep disbelief out of her tone. She shivered a little.

"Yeah, it worked." Crado said gently. "You are cold. Let me get you a blanket or something." The woman in his arms made a sound of worry.

"Don't leave me!" She begged.

"I am not." Crado said gently. "But your biotics thoroughly trashed the room. The bed and it's sheets are a memory. I need to keep you warm. So..." He rose slowly, pulling her up into an embrace. "I am going to carry you to the main Sick Bay, okay?" He asked, his tone teasing. "Or are you still going to kick my tail up between my ears?"

"Jury is still out on that." Anya said, a smile crossing her face that swiftly vanished. "Ow..." She grimaced as he held her carefully.

"What?" Crado asked softly as he shifted her mass in his arms.

"Right arm." Anya said slowly. "Feels..." She sighed. "I fell on it. I bet I broke it." Crado shifted his hold so her arm was not being pressed on and she relaxed a little. "I am scared Crado." She said softly. "I am so scared. I can't see and I feel... so..."

"Let me be your eyes." Crado said gently. "The room we are in is a standard private shipboard medical room. Walls are bare metal, no fancy decorations on a ship of the Turian Navy after all. Everything is white to show up discolorations quickly. The only markings are functional. Hazard signs and such. I am going to take a step towards the door and I bet there are guards outside now."

"Why?" Anya asked slowly, her fear abating.

"Because _someone_ woke up on the bad side of the bed." Crado teased. "Your scary black field thingy clicked on and trashed the room."

"Madre de Dios!" Anya said, horrified. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." Crado said gently. "I know better than to get close when you are having a bad day. Not that you ever had any _other_ kind, mind you." He said, his tone gentle. "You didn't hurt me. You did scare me, and you scared everyone aboard. They were going to vent the room to stop you. If you hadn't woken up..." He broke off, overcome.

"If they were going to vent the room, then why were you here...?" Anya broke off and her face squnched up. "You idiot! Are you _still_ suicidal?" She asked sourly.

"No." Crado said quietly as he walked towards the door with his burden. "Not suicidal. But I lost you once. I couldn't lose you again without trying everything I could." He stopped at the door and spoke at the microphone. "Commander?" He asked respectfully.

"Private Crado." The voice of the ship's commander. "I assume everything is in order?"

"_Private?_" Anya nearly exploded in his arms. "Crado? What the _hell_ did you _do_?" She demanded. He would not meet her blind gaze.

"What does he _ever_ do?" The voice of the ship's commander was sour. "He mouths off at the wrong people at the worst possible times. Anya? My name is Commander Mornis. Welcome aboard the Wings of Xenobia."

"Commander." Anya said formally. "Captain Anya, Alliance Navy. Don't take any chances. Whatever was done to me was extensive. I don't know if I am a threat or not."

"From the reports I have from our docs..." Mornis said quietly. "You are not. But Crado will remain with you. We are setting up a new quarantine room just beyond that one. Won't be long Crado." The Turian nodded.

"For the best." Anya said slowly. "I never saw any living beings, only mechs. But..." She shuddered a bit and burrowed into Crado's arms a little. "They really messed me up when I managed to get loose a couple of times."

"There is an Alliance medical and debriefing team on the way, Ma'am." Commander Mornis said gently. "You _are_ safe here. No one will hurt you again."

"Thank you, commander Mornis." Anya said simply. "I don't mean to be a pain. I didn't mean to mess up your sick bay. I guess they will take it out of my pay."

"We will talk about that when you have recovered some more. Just so you know, Ma'am." The Turian ship commander said evenly. "I am ordered to keep you under surveillance at all times."

"Fair enough." Anya said soberly. "I...feel..." She started shivering.

"Anya?" Crado said quickly. "Anya! Stay awake!"

"I am going under, Crado." Anya said, her tone scared. "Madre de Dios! Don't let this be a dream! Not... Not again..." She started to cry softly again.

"Commander!" Crado called, his tone scared. "What do I do?"

"Door opening, Crado." Mornis said quietly. "Get her to the bed, and STAY with her."

"Crado..." Anya said, her tone fuzzy. "Help me..."

"I am not going anywhere, Anya." Crado said as the door hissed open and he saw a bed made up in the next room. A chair sat beside it with a pillow and blanket piled on top of it. He walked swiftly to the bed and laid the crumpling woman down on it. In seconds he had the pillow under her head and her body covered with the blanket. "Rest well, mi amor. I am here." He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled as she fell asleep. He shook his head as he sat.


	7. Chapter 7

"...so we have no further idea _who_ did these things to her?" Krisal said slowly as she and Commander Mornis looked at the vid where Crado sat beside the bed their 'guest' was sleeping in. "Who had her prisoner and experimented on her." She was uncomfortable talking about this, it was way above her pay grade, but she had been cleared by HQ, so she followed her orders.

"From the scans..." Mornis mused. "A lot of what was done looks similar to reports on what was done to Shepard by Cerberus to bring her back from the dead after the first Normandy was destroyed. But the eyes... That is new and different."

"Hmmm..." Krisal said softly. "Do the docs have any ideas what those implants may have been used for?"

"Some kind of interface." Mornis said uneasily. "Beyond that..." He sighed as the intercom chimed. "Now what?" He snapped. He took a moment to compose himself and then spoke. "Yes?"

"Sir, we are being hailed." The voice of the third in command, a young but solid male ensign named Griz, spoke quickly. "But there are no ships here! The Reaper is gone and nothing else is on sensor!" Krisal and Mornis shared a glance and the commander spoke quickly.

"Go to Battle Ready. On our way!" He and Krisal ran for the door to the briefing room as the alert claxon sounded through the ship. He paused at the hatch to the CiC and looked at Krisal. "Will this wake our guest?" She shook her head.

"No." She said quietly. "We cut all feeds but the surveillance ones to that quarantine ward. Crado and Anya likely won't hear a thing through the baffles. Which is good. She needs rest to recuperate."

"I dislike locking people up, especially crew and hurt people." Mornis said softly as he keyed the hatch open. "But she _is_ a potential threat."

"And she knows it." Krisal said soberly.

"Commander on the bridge!" The third officer called. Mornis nodded an acknowledgement and moved to check the readouts before starting for his battle station. The alert claxons died as soon as he reached the control position.

"Report!" Krisal snapped as Mornis assumed his place on the dais and she took hers by the main control stations.

"Ship reports Battle Ready, sir." The third in command said quietly. "No other ships on sensor. Obligatha is eighteen light seconds away, scanning grid quadrant Seven Beta. Nothing else on sensor. But the hails are continuing. Sir..." He said slowly. "They are using Council codes. And they want to talk to the commander..."

"A stealthed ship?" Krisal asked nobody in particular. "Commander?" She asked, turning to Mornis who nodded.

"On speaker." Mornis said softly.

"...apologize for startling you." The crisp female voice sounded from the com. "We were close by and could get here fast and quietly. Repeat, this is SSV Normandy, we apologize for startling you..."

"The _Normandy_?" Krisal snapped, then clapped both hands over her mouth. Mornis looked at her and nodded. He had almost blurted the same thing himself. What were the odds?

"SSV Normandy, this is the THV Wings of Xenobia." Mornis said quickly. "I assume you are close to be able to hail us."

"Yeah, we didn't think about it." The female voice sounded apologetic. "We didn't mean to sneak up on you. It's force of habit. Sorry, commander. Cutting stealth now." A lean, rakish silhouette appeared in cosmic spitting distance. A familiar silhouette. Anyone who had been at the battle for Sol knew that ship. Shepard's ship, the Normandy SR-2. "We have the medical and debriefing team that the Alliance sent aboard. Had there been any change?"

"Our guest woke up, Normandy." Mornis said quietly. "She said some things. But... Not over a com. Even a secure one."

"Right." The voice from the Normandy was calm. "Shall we send a shuttle or do you wish to dock?"

"Shuttle would likely be easiest." Mornis said softly. "We have our guest in quarantine for the moment."

"Understood." The female voice replied. "Shuttle will be launching in three minutes. Expect a full team, commander. Your report sent some _serious_ shockwaves through the Alliance HQ and the Council. Spectre Williams is in charge. As soon as the team is aboard, we will go back into full stealth and see if we can backtrack that pod a bit, find out where it came from."

"A Spectre?" Mornis asked, then nodded. "Right, Normandy. We will find space for everyone. Mornis clear."

"Normandy clear." The voice said quietly.

"That was the ship's AI, wasn't it?" Krisal asked softly. "EDI?"

"I think so." Mornis said with a shrug. "I wasn't going to ask." He said with a small grin.

"I think we can stand down from Battle Ready." Krisal said slowly. The commander looked away for a moment and she pressed. "Commander?" Mornis shook his head.

"I don't think so, Lieutenant Krisal." Mornis said softly. "Until we are _sure_ we are clear, we shouldn't take any chances at all. Besides, extra security can't hurt with a bunch of VIPs running around."

"Point taken, commander." Krisal said slowly. "But we cannot maintain Battle Ready indefinitely. We don't have the crew of a full on warship."

"I know." Commander Mornis said soberly. "So... You and I need to work out a schedule for shifts. I want sensors and weapons manned fully at all times." Krisal frowned but nodded. "We have been lax, the job hasn't been dangerous. I _hope_ it didn't just get dangerous. Ah, here comes the shuttle." He said as the icon of an Alliance Kodiak shuttle appeared on his screen. "You have the bridge XO. I'll go greet our guests." Krisal nodded and took his place as he stepped down. He nodded back and left the bridge.

"Lieutenant?" Third Officer Griz asked as he stepped up to her. "A question?"

"Go ahead." Krisal said quietly.

"Are we continuing our mission?" Griz asked. "We are not even close to done."

"Until HQ tells us otherwise, or we cannot continue it for some reason, Ensign Griz..." Krisal said firmly. "We continue the mission. We are soldiers and we have been given our orders. We will obey our orders."

"Yes, Ma'am." The young Turian straightened himself slightly and nodded. He turned back as the Normandy's image wavered and vanished from their screens. "That ship is _cool_."

"Don't get on her bad side, Ensign." Krisal said in a mild voice that somehow carried around the whole deck. "_You_ didn't see the mess she left in her wake at Sol."

"You think the human called Joker is still flying it?" Ensign Griz asked, his tone one step removed from hero worship.

"I don't know." Krisal said soberly. "But here and _now_, it doesn't matter. Do your duty, ensign." She said in mild rebuke.

"Yes, Ma'am." Griz said quickly. "Sorry, Ma'am." He bent to his tasks but paused as she snorted a laugh.

"A little distraction can be forgiven, ensign." Krisal said with a shrug. "It's not every day one sees a legend come to life. And the Normandy is _definitely_ a legend."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hangar bay**

Commander Mornis waited in silence as the Alliance shuttle landed. The hangar bay teams had moved the recovered pod out of the way and now they all waited to see what their 'guests' would be. Mornis didn't really mind the lack of industry. The crew was more than competent and it wasn't every day a ship like that simply appeared nearby. Sheperd's ship. The SSV Normandy. Even with Sheperd gone, the ship was a legend in and of its own right. He stood apart from the crews, waiting as the shuttle powered down. The hatch opened and a human female in combat armor stepped out of the shuttle.

"You in command?" The woman asked politely. Her dark head fur glistened in the harsh light of the bay and her eyes glowed brightly green. The patterns on her skin glowed as well.

"Yes." He replied with a nod. "Spectre Williams?"

"The same." She said with a smile. "Sorry to just drop in on you. The Council and Alliance HQ told me to get here ASAP." She held out a hand. "Ashley Williams, Special Tactics and Recon."

"Commander Mornis." The Turian commander said, taking the woman's hand and giving a shake. He thanked his ancestors that he had studied some human protocol. "Seventh Fleet Search and Rescue. On Recovery duty."

"Thank you, commander." Spectre Williams said soberly. "There just are not enough Alliance ships to do the job yet. So many dead and missing... I know your own fleets are recovering your lost people, so it is _very_ appreciated by everyone in Alliance uniform, what you are doing. Not a fun job, but one that needs doing."

"Yeah." Mornis said quietly. "The Reaper has helped as well. Its odd."

"Yeah." Williams agreed. "If you had told me ten years ago that a _Reaper_ was going to help recover bodies to bring closure to families with lost loved ones, I would have laughed in your face. But now..." She shrugged. "This is the _least_ of the craziness we have seen recently."

"I didn't know what to expect." Mornis said with a shrug. "But it has helped a great deal. It can cover a _lot_ of space and it's sensors are very precise. We are not very _comfortable_ with it, mind you, but..." He shrugged again, then paused as two more beings exited the shuttle. One was a huge human male in combat armor. That one he didn't know, but the other...

"General Vakarian! Sir! We didn't get word you were coming." Commander Mornis braced to attention as Garrus Vakarian nodded to him.

"At ease, commander." Garrus said with a nod. "It has all been last minute. I am here to liaison and see what you have found."

"Sir?" Mornis asked, unsure.

"Ash?" Garrus asked. For a moment, Mornis was unsure who he was taking to, but then the Spectre nodded.

"I am here for the Council. Garrus here is the Hierarchy's representative." The Spectre said soberly. "Lieutenant Commander Vega here..." She nodded to the huge human who nodded back. "...represents the N7 program and is here for the Alliance. He has every record we could find on your guest. And last but not least..." The Spectre nodded again to a pair of humans who came out of the shuttle loaded down with what looked like medical gear. One was young and had dark hair, the other older and had gray hair. Both wore white tunics with medical insignia. "Our medical personnel. Doctors Karin Chakwas and Miranda Lawson. Both have in depth experience with such things as you detailed in your report. Specifically Cerberus and Cerberus medical work."

"I see." Commander Mornis said quietly. "I can have quarters set up for all of you. I am afraid it won't be palatial." He paused as Garrus snorted.

"As long as it is dry and no one is shooting at us, I don't think any of us will care." One of the most famous Turians in the galaxy said with a smile. Both Williams and Vega nodded. "Is your guest awake?"

"She was." Commander Mornis replied. "She fell asleep again. Sir, she is a mess. The ocular implants rendered her blind." The docs looked worried at that,

"We should talk in private, Commander." Williams said with a scowl. "Miranda? Karin?"

"I should look at the pod." The dark haired human said quietly. "Karin?"

"I can start collating the data." The older doctor said with a nod. "With your permission, Spectre?"

"Don't start, doc." The female Spectre said with a sigh. "Commander?"

"Right." Commander Mornis said with a nod. "Chief!" He called. Just as he expected, Chief Mudok was nearby.

"Sir?" The Chief asked diffidently.

"Detail an escort to guide Doctor Chakwas to sickbay." Commander Mornis said with a smile. Chief Mudok nodded and beckoned a soldier over and started talking to the young Turian. "And... Doctor Lawson? Will you need anything?"

"I don't _think_ so." The younger human female said slowly. "I am going to make a preliminary survey. If I do need anything, I have my omni tool. I can call."

"Right." Commander Mornis said with a nod. He liked dealing with professionals. "Chief, if she needs anything, if we have it, get it for her." The chief nodded. "Spectre Williams, General Vakarian, Lieutenant Commander Vega? Lets adjourn to my briefing room so we can discuss this."

"Good idea commander." The Spectre said softly. "One question, the shuttle?" The Alliance shuttle was blocking half of the access way for the hangar. The pod was taking up the other half. The Wings of Xenobia was not a large ship.

"It can stay here." Commander Mornis said with a shrug. "We are not planning to have any more arrivals today."

"Be warned, commander." Spectre Williams said with a sigh. "The press has accessed the non-classified data feeds and maybe some of the supposedly secure ones." Mornis froze and Williams nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if some reporters show up."

"Well, then..." The commander actually smiled. "If they _do_, then I honestly cannot allow them to land. No space. Wouldn't be safe." His tone was earnest and Williams smiled as well.

"Fair enough." Williams replied. "Okay, let's get started." The group left the hangar bay, leaving the dark haired woman staring at the pod. Mornis led the way towards the bridge and his briefing room. The other doctor peeled off from the group, led by a Turian who looked as if she were simply bursting with questions she didn't dare ask. As he passed the bridge, Krisal looked at him, a question in her eyes. He shrugged.

"We will likely be awhile, XO." Mornis said. "Take us to the next grid point and start the search. The SSV Crecy was lost somewhere near there."

"Yes sir." Krisal nodded as the group continued off.

Mornis pretended not to hear one of the crew speak in a hushed tone. "Was that who I _think_ it was? General Vakarian himself?" He led the way into his briefing room and indicated chairs for the others. The human female and male seemed amused by the hushed voice and Vakarian ignored it.

"We don't have any 'special' refreshments." Mornis said sadly. "But I can get you all some water if you wish."

"Water would be good." General Vakarian said sadly. "We have a _lot_ to discuss." Mornis nodded and poured water from his dispenser into cups, quickly and efficiently passing each of his guests a cup. Then he sat.

"Let me start by saying 'Thank You', commander." Lieutenant Commander Vega said after he took a sip of his water. He sat in a folding chair that was way too small for him, but he managed to perch in it, somehow. Spectre Williams and General Vakarian sat in the two other chairs in his briefing room. The Wings of Xenobia was not well endowed with luxuries. Aside from those two chairs and a desk with the commander's chair behind it, the room was bare.

"For?" Commander Mornis asked softly as he checked his terminal. As expected his paperwork load had grown.

"For finding our lost sister." Vega said soberly. "And for doing what you have been doing out here. Its a thankless job for most people. But anyone who has lost friends or family appreciates it a great deal."

"We have been pulling bodies in for a while, IDing them and sending them to Earth." Mornis said with a sigh. "It was such a rush to find someone alive. We have no idea when that pod was dropped, but there was little chance she was floating here since the war ended."

"Your report said that the Reaper- Obligatha?" Williams asked and Mornis nodded. "...was going to scan to see how long the pod had been out here? Did it?"

"I don't know." Mornis admitted. "Things got nuts as soon as we brought the pod aboard. Let me check." He tapped his terminal and nodded. "Yes, Obligatha did a full spectrum analysis while it's Oculi pulled the pod to us. This... says..." He paused. "This can't be right. The radiation exposure readings... This says it _was_ in space for five years. There is no ways she survived in that condition for that long."

"If half of what I have heard about Anya is true, commander..." Lieutenant Commander Vega said slowly. "She was one seriously _tough_ chica. There is no way she let whoever did this to her do it without fighting."

"That's just it." Commander Mornis said slowly. "When she woke, she said she had been drugged and seen her 'belly big' at least twice during her captivity." Vega, Williams and Vakarian all stiffened at that. "Does that mean what I think it does in humans?" He asked coldly.

"Probably." Williams' face had a seriously scary look on it now. "The question is, why? She had a relationship with General er... Private Crado. Garrus?" She asked gently. The commander looked at General Vakarian and paused at the look of absolute devastation that showed on the General's face for a moment. Then it vanished.

"Humans and Turians are not biologically compatible." Garrus said slowly, his face hardening. "For some, it didn't matter. Crado and Anya were one such pair. They kept it professional, and in the middle of the Reaper invasion, no one was going to quote regs at them." He snorted sourly. "No one sane anyway."

"So..." Mornis said slowly. "We have a human female, listed as 'MIA presumed dead'. She is alive, but shows signs of severe torture. She says..." He checked his notes and nodded. "She says that she tried to escape and was hurt badly for it. She has been experimented on and according to her, she was pregnant." The commander shook his head. "I really do not like where this is going."

"Me neither." Williams said soberly. "We need to talk to her. But..." She raised a hand when the commander opened his mouth. "We let _her_ dictate the times. We will _not_ push her. She has been hurt enough." The commander nodded. "The docs will want access to her. I assume she is back in quarantine?"

"Yeah." Mornis said with a scowl. "Crado won't leave her side, and truth be told, I don't blame him. He is not stable, but... I don't blame him."

"None of us do." Lieutenant Commander Vega said quietly. "He and Anya did wonders with the N7 Special Ops during the war. Their teams pulled off any number of 'impossible' jobs. I read a bunch of reports on what their team did, and...frankly, I am amazed. Shepard might have had difficulty matching some of those ops."

"Shepard...Well..." Garrus said slowly in the silence that fell. "She always said she was just another soldier. She always said there were better soldiers than her. I..." He shrugged. "There were things she was very good at and then there were things she wasn't. Admittedly, not many of the latter..." The Turian General said with a slightly forlorn grin. "Knitting comes to mind..." He grinned as Mornis sputtered. Williams and Vega just snickered a little.

"Knitting?" Mornis asked with a grin. "I have to say... Most of what I know about Shepard is hearsay, or grapevine gossip. You two knew her."

"We all did. The Lieutenant Commander served on the Normandy as well." Williams said softly. Mornis nodded to accept the additional information. "She was...one of a kind, but in the end, she was a soldier. Like us. She did her duty."

"Yeah." Vakarian's voice was taut and Mornis looked at him. The commander paused and then nodded as the other Turian worked to control his face. "I know what she would want done here. We are going to find out what happened, find out _who_ did this to Anya, and then if they are alive, we are going to make them dead." Calm sincerity shone through the General's tone. It almost hid the hate. "She would _not_ have liked someone playing with her fellow soldiers. Not in the slightest."

"Right." Mornis could understand that. He paused as the door chime sounded. "Come." The dark haired doctor, Lawson entered the room and her expression... The commander tensed at the human's sick look. "Doctor?" He asked carefully.

"It wasn't a Cerberus pod, commander." Lawson said slowly, her tone one step removed from fury. "It was meant to look like one."

"Why?" Commander Mornis asked slowly, then paused. "Sorry, Spectre, General...Didn't mean to speak out of turn."

"That was what I was going to ask." Williams said slowly. "Garrus?" He nodded, his focus on the doctor who paced to the wall and back, obviously trying to retain control. "What did you find, Miranda?"

"I had hoped it was over." Miranda Lawson said with a snap. "I know who built that pod. Who set it up to hold that poor woman in stasis, likely for a long, long time. It brought her out every year for a day or two to check her vitals and then put her back under. Dang it, I _thought_ I buried this all on Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" Williams asked slowly and then froze. "Oh no... No..." She groaned.

"Yeah." Miranda snapped. "My father had something to do with this."

"Your _father_?" Mornis asked slowly. "Wait... Sanctuary? Wasn't that where Cerberus experimented on refugees?"

"Yeah." Miranda said, leaning against the wall and shutting her eyes. Her face was desolate. Vega stood and moved to her side. A gentle touch on her arm had her smiling slightly. "My father's name was Henry Lawson. He was obsessed with his legacy, creating a dynasty of sorts. Evil man, he made me and my twin sister to further his insane dreams. When I rebelled, he went to the Illusive Man. He worked for Cerberus, but he always had plans within plans. Always furthering his legacy."

"So..." Williams said slowly. "Anya...?"

"As tough as she was and is, she likely would have been an ideal subject for whatever evil he had in mind. He had lost a lot of resources when Earth was invaded." Lawson looked as if she wanted to spit. "Add to that her biotic ability and she was probably ideal for his purposes if he could keep her controlled. But..." She shook her head. "I don't think he was personally involved."

"What makes you say that?" Mornis asked.

"Because I killed him on Sanctuary." Miranda said with a sigh. "That was just about the same time Anya was lost, right Lieutenant Commander?" She asked Vega who nodded.

"So..." Williams said slowly. "She was taken, by the Collectors. Or... Maybe she was found by Cerberus troops?"

"Either way, she wound up in the care of a program my dear father set up." Miranda said with a snarl. "We need to find that place and _erase_ it."

"The Normandy is backtracking the pod's known trajectory." Williams said slowly. "Could your father have cloned himself or something?"

"That is usually reserved for science fiction, Williams. I wouldn't think so." Miranda said soberly. "But every time I _thought_ I knew the extent of his or the Illusive Man's evil, they surprised me. If Anya _did_ have children thrust on her... Then those kids are in _big_ trouble."

"We need more information." Williams said softly. "Commander? We need to talk to Anya."

"We will check with Doctor Chakwas, but..." Commander Mornis sighed. "Our medics didn't find any reason to continue the quarantine except that she didn't change when the rest of us did. Any idea why?" All four of the others looked at Miranda who shook her head.

"Nothing in the pod would have kept the pulse from hitting her." Miranda said slowly. "The shielding required for that would have taken a lot more power than the pod was capable of generating."

"Besides..." Mornis mused. "The pod was only in space for the last five years. Where was it until then?"

"I don't think we are going to like that answer, Commander." Miranda said soberly. "I really don't."


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the delay in updating, but computer troubles and 2000 km worth of driving really, REALLY sucked.

* * *

"Crado?" The soft, concerned voice jerked Crado out of his doze. He immediately looked to Anya, but the human woman hadn't moved. The splint that the docs in hazmat suits had put on her arm was still in place and she was sleeping easily. They hadn't wanted to give her anything for the pain with so many other drugs in her system, so they had settled for slathering the break with medi-gel. Its soothing numbness would help with the pain as well as speeding healing.

"What? Uh..." He jerked fully wake, looked around and paused. No one else was in the room. "Sorry." He said as he looked for the mike. "Shouldn't have dozed off."

"You are stressed." The familiar voice said gently. "How is she?"

"Scared out of her mind." Crado said sadly, his hand tracing Anya's cheek. "Blind and hurt and scared... and..." He paused as he recognized the voice. "Garrus?" He asked incredulous.

"Who _else_ were they going to send?" Garrus Vakarian asked in a wicked tone. "You tend to irritate everyone you talk to."

"Yes, sir." Crado said softly. "No excuse, sir."

"Don't you _dare_ start, Crado Solinus." Garrus replied severely. "I can get Anya to kick your tail."

"You would." Crado said softly. "And it is just Crado now, Garrus." The voice from the intercom sighed.

"You just woke up and you are already arguing with your superior officers." Garrus laughed sourly. "Some things never change. This is a head's up. I am coming in, with two docs, a Spectre and an N7. They want to talk to Anya."

"She is not..." Crado paused and smiled. "Belay that. She _is_ awake." He bent down to brush Anya's cheek. "Eavesdropping on a General is a court martial offense, Anya." He said with a smile.

"And? When did that ever stop you?" Anya asked coyly, smiling as she opened her eyes, only to freeze and shiver a bit before closing them again. "Crado... I..."

"Hey." Crado said as he patted her shoulder before taking her hands in his. "It's okay. You heard?"

"Yeah. Hi Garrus." Anya said softly. "Been a while since we briefed each other on Spec Ops and Reaper activity on the Citadel."

"Good to hear your voice again, Anya." Garrus said gently. "How you doing?"

"Not so good." Anya admitted, shivering. "Not being able to see sucks. Despite everything Crado has done, it still sucks." Crado scowled and pulled another blanket over her. She smiled her thanks and relaxed a little. "I don't deserve him. Don't... Don't let him come to harm, Garrus. Please?"

"Anya, it's okay." Garrs said gently. "No one is going to do anything to him. Well, unless he deserves it again." His tone was wicked now and Anya actually smiled. "We are entering decontamination now. Should be about five minutes. See you then." The com clicked off.

"Okay... I..." Anya paused and stiffened. "Crado? What am I wearing?"

"Anya." Crado said with a sigh. "You are a patient in a sick bay. What do you _think_ you are wearing? A hospital gown. One set up for you, as opposed to a Turian one. None of ours would have fit you."

"Does it make me look fat?" She asked and then paused. "Man... I didn't just say that, did I?" She asked with a grin. "I did. Oh my god, I am turning into a ditz." She laughed and Crado did as well. "Crado?"

"Yes Anya?" He asked quietly.

"Do I look the same?" She asked, her tone almost inaudible. "I mean, the same as before?"

"You look like I remember you looking." Crado said softly. "You have more lines on the skin of your face, from fear and pain. I may be biased, but I think you have never looked better."

"Flatterer." Anya said with a chuckle. "You just want to have our evil way with me."

"All in good time, mi amor." Crado said with a smirk. "All in good time." He straightened as the door to the room opened and a group of people came in. Each carried a folding chair with them and Crado nodded to each as they entered. "General Vakarian."

"_Private_ Crado." Garrus Vakarian said with a sigh. "Still ticking off your commanders, I see."

"It's a living." Crado said as he sat up a little straighter. He nodded to the four humans. "Welcome to quarantine."

"Private." The woman in combat armor said with a smile. "My name is Ashley Williams. I am with Special Tactics and Recon. This is Lieutenant Commander James Vega, with the N7 program and Doctors Chakwas and Lawson. Both specialists in...odd medical type things." The Spectre and the commander both sat in chairs they had brought.

"I assume you all want to talk to me." Anya said, her tone tight.

"We need to know what happened, Miss Wilson-Fuentes." The Spectre said gently. "And the docs think they may be able to help you." Crado stared from the Spectre to Anya and back, his mind whirling.

"With what?" Anya asked, her posture stiffening. "And my name is Anya."

"Anya then." Williams said in a gentle voice. "Doctor Chakwas?"

"Anya?" The older doctor said slowly as she stepped forward. "You see nothing when your eyes are open, yes?"

"Yes." Anya said tightly. "Just black."

"I have looked over the scans the medics here took." Doctor Chakwas said in a calm, gentle voice. "But I would like to see for myself. May I?"

"Its not like I can stop you." Anya said sourly. Williams made a noise of disagreement and Anya turned her blind eyes to the Spectre. "What?"

"Too much has been done to you without your consent, Anya." Williams' tone was sad now. "We would _like_ to help, but we are _not_ going to force you to accept anything. Not that Crado here would stand for it I bet." Crado smirked a bit at that. True.

"You..." Anya wilted a little. "You give _me_ the right to choose?"

"Yes." Williams said gently. "You are in excellent health, Anya. Aside from your eyes there is nothing wrong with your body." She shrugged. "Well, except the arm. But you _just_ broke that." She said with a small smile.

"I..." Anya swallowed heavily. "Crado?" She asked.

"I am here, Anya." Crado said softly.

"Stay with me?" She begged. "Please?"

"Anya..." Crado said, laying a three fingered hand on her cold one. "I am not going anywhere. Will you let the docs work?"

"Yeah." Anya said, slumping back into the bed. The two medical personnel produced scanners and stepped towards the bed. Anya visibly steeled herself and spoke. "What did you want to know, Spectre Williams?"

"Before I was a Spectre, I was a soldier, Anya." Williams said gently. "Call me Ashley."

"I can't do _that_, Ma'am." Anya protested. She stiffened as the docs started scanning her, the almost inaudible whine unnerving her. Crado took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze. "I guess I _could_ call you Williams if you wish. But your rank is still valid. And you _do_ outrank me."

"Spectres are less straitlaced about some things." Williams replied with a smile. "We tend to focus on results, not appearances. But if it helps you to retain military protocol, you can call me Spectre or Spectre Williams."

"It does, Spectre Williams." Anya said, relaxing as the scans the docs were running didn't hurt her. "I... I know I am a mess. All flustered and bothered.. and... Geez I feel like such a ditz."

"A ditz would be crying in the corner, Ma'am after what you went through." Lieutenant Commander Vega said softly. "Or trying to eat the paint. You are neither."

"You are Commander Vega." Anya said, her blind gaze tracking to him. "N7? Which specialty?"

"Lieutenant Commander." Vega said with a shrug. "Not enough time in service to make full commander yet. The brass have rediscovered the joys of bureaucracy." Anya smiled at his joking tone. "And Destroyer, Ma'am. You are a Fury."

"Was." Anya shuddered a little and Crado gave her hands another squeeze. "Before all this."

"Anya..." Vega said with a snort. "You are _still_ N7. You are not under arrest. You haven't broken any laws that we know of. You haven't done _anything_ wrong that I know of. You were hurt and abused. We need to find out what happened to you. If the people or whatever who did this to you are still around, we want to find them and discourage them from doing it -or anything- again." Steel shone in his voice now. The docs finished their scans and stepped back. "Doc?"

"We got what we needed." Doctor Chakwas said gently. "Your arm is healing well. The rest..." She sighed. "Miranda and I need to talk for a bit, make sense of this. It's odd..." She mused.

"Am I going to die?" Anya asked fearfully in the silence that ensued.

"Oh no, dear." Doctor Chakwas came close and laid a gentle hand on Anya's unbroken arm. "You are in excellent health. We just got some odd readings. We need to confer. Anya..." She said, her tone very soft and gentle. "It's okay, you will be okay." Anya stared at the doc with her blind eyes and then burst into tears. Crado swept her into an embrace, holding her gently as she cried. "We can give you something for the pain now. The other nastiness has filtered out."

"Please?" Anya asked as she fought to control herself.

"Easy..." Doctor Chakwas said in that same soft as wool voice. She laid her omni tool against the woman's neck and a hiss sounded. Anya relaxed instantly. "There, better?" The doctor asked kindly.

"Yeah." Anya said with a smile. "Thanks doc."

"You are welcome. Helping people is what I do, Anya." Karin Chakwas said with a smile. "It is why I went into medicine. I will be close, but Miranda and I need to talk some esoteric medical gobbledy gook."

"Gobbledy gook?" Anya asked, incredulous. "Have you been talking to Raan'ita? She used to call it the same thing."

"No." Doctor Chakwas said with a grin. "But healers are generally healers no matter the species. It will be all right, Anya." She promised the blind woman before stepping back and striding to where Miranda stood by the door, her face buried in her omni tool screen.

"I hope so." Anya said in a small voice. "Okay..." She shook herself and took a deep breath. "What do you want to know, Spectre WIlliams?"

"What is the first thing you remember after the mission on Sanctum?" The Spectre had a recorder going and Crado noted that Vakarian and Vega did as well. "According to after action reports, you were hit and no one detected life signs."

"I..." Anya sighed and then spoke slowly and carefully. "It hurt. It was dark and it hurt..."

No one spoke and after a moment, she continued.

"Everything was dark." Anya said softly. "Almost like now, with no light at all. My head hurt and my gut." She shook her head. "I remembered getting hit. I was dodging for everything I was worth, trying to find cover, but we kept getting flanked. Every time I focused on a target, one of those abomination monstrosities would sneak up behind me and grab me. Got old." She snapped in irritation.

"Yeah." Vakarian said soberly. "And then they exploded. I remember the first mission on Horizon when we faced the Collectors before taking out their base. That got real old after the first time."

"Yeah, hurt like hell, even through barriers." Anya said with a sigh. "I was trying to regroup with the team when I ran smack into a web I hadn't seen. Too many inputs, too many hostiles." She shook her head. "That is no excuse for losing situational awareness, but still..."

"Anya..." Crado's voice was mild. "It was an ambush. They _really_ wanted us. Dead or alive they really wanted us."

"Yeah," Anya said with a sigh. "I remember feeling blood on my face, then I must have lost consciousness for a moment, because the next thing I knew, Crado was bending over me with medi-gel in hand. I knew I was hit bad and I knew evac was coming. I told you to leave me, you insubordinate excuse for a Turian." She mock snarled at the male.

"And I told you to shove it." Crado said with a smile. "When you got hit, _I_ was in command, remember?" Anya pouted slightly. He paused and his voice turned sad. "I was hit a moment later."

"Yeah." Anya said with a shiver. "I remember you picking me up and seeing a Scion raising it's arm. Then I was on the ground and Brutiz was there. He was firing non-stop with that weird spike thrower of his. I could see my suit telemetry on my HUD, I was hemorrhaging, no chance for medi-gel to save me." Anya said, her head falling until her chin rested on her chest. "I didn't want _you_ to die too, Crado. I ordered him to take you while I hit my fields again. I saw him get you to the shuttle. I saw T-9-001 enter as well. Then I was hit by something. I never saw what." She shook her head. "I woke up in darkness, scared out of my mind. I remember Shepard's reports on what the Collectors did to people they abducted."

"What could you tell about your surroundings?" Vega asked when she didn't speak for a moment.

"Not a lot." Anya said soberly. "No light and when I tried to activate my fields, they didn't work." She shuddered a bit. "My amp was gone, could barely generate enough biotic power to feel, let alone see. I assumed I was drugged too. My head was fuzzy. I felt things binding my wrists and ankles. But other than that, I didn't feel bad. I hurt, in places, but I didn't feel bad." She shook her head. "As odd as that sounds. I don't know how long I was in that dark place. I couldn't access my implant chrono."

"Hmmm..." Spectre Williams mused. "Disorientation and drugs. Keep you off balance until they can do what they want? What happened next?"

"I must have slept or been drugged." Anya said with a small shiver. "I woke up on a table. I was unclothed and strapped down. I saw movement and called out, but no one answered. When things came into my field of view they were mechs of some kid. Odd ones through. Not security mechs like I have seen, or any technology I knew. Certainly not reaper tech. That has a look all it's own."

"Can you describe them?" Williams asked gently.

"Yes." Anya said slowly. "They seemed to have humanoid shape. Two long arms with three fingers on each hand arms, a big head. Not sure about below the waist, never saw that. Two sets of eyes though, kind of like Collectors or Protheans. They all sparkled with what I think were sterile fields. Which makes sense, I guess. At first I thought it was in a medical facility. They tended my wounds." She shook her head again. "I remember the feeling of medi-gel on my stomach. Then they worked on my head and I realized my hair had been cut off." She raised a hand to her scalp and fingered the short hair there. "I talked to the things, demanded answers, begged for some kind of response. Nothing." Anya said soberly. "That was when I knew I was a prisoner."

"So, what then?" Williams prompted when she broke off.

"I made a tactical retreat." Anya said sadly. "Some people may call it cowardice, but I _knew_ I was in no shape to fight."

"Not cowardice." Vega said simply. "Pragmatism. Fight when you _can_."

"Right." Anya said with a sigh. "I guess the fact that I _didn't_ resist at first either confused the mechs or set their programming to non-harmful mode or something."

"Did you spend all the time on the table?" This from Miranda who was watching Anya closely now.

"No." Anya said slowly. "There was a small... Exercise room, I think. It had a bunch of what I figured out were exercise equipment in it. Odd though. It seemed off. Not -quite- sized for someone my size. Not quite proportioned for humans. I woke up on a cot in there fairly regularly. I guess they didn't want me getting out of shape. Odd through..." She mused.

"How so?" Williams asked when no one else spoke.

"I always ached when I woke up. As if I had exercised _before_ I woke. Which isn't possible." Anya paused when Miranda hissed. ""Right?" She asked, hesitantly.

"I wouldn't think so." Miranda said slowly. "But there were strides in Cerberus control technology before you vanished. That is how they controlled their troops. If you _did_ have a control chip implanted, you likely wouldn't have realized it."

"Tell me I don't." Anya said slowly, her tone one step removed from terrified. "Please?"

"They can be very hard to identify, Anya." Miranda's voice was _very_ gentle now. "I gave you my word through. If you _do_ have one, I can and will get it out." She came close and touched the blind woman on the shoulder. "No one deserves that. I will look over the scans again. I swear to you, Anya. I will find out. I know what to look for."

"How do you know?" Anya asked softly, slightly relaxing.

"I was part of the Cerberus team that rebuilt Shepard." Miranda said quietly. "And my _father_ may have had this done this to you. If he _did_, I want his evil _erased_." Hate sounded in her tone now. Anya's empty eyes stared up at her.

"Please?" She asked, not sure what she was begging for.

"Oh Anya..." Miranda sighed and sat down beside the now crying woman. Crado made space. "Come here." She hugged Anya tight. "My father was evil. The things he did to me, and my sister and _so_ many other people..." She sighed and sat back. "I will find a way to help you. I know what Cerberus used to do. I know their techniques. I know a lot of what my father planned, if not all. _This_ I knew nothing about. Whatever it takes, Anya, I _will_ help you." She hugged Anya again.

"Miranda Lawson. Everything I heard about you said you were a coldhearted witch." Anya said slowly when Miranda released her. "What happened to you?"

"Something marvelous." Miranda said with a small smile. "Things changed ten years ago, Anya. Massively and minutely. With specialized technology, my fondest dream came true a year and a half ago. I was..." Miranda paused, working to control herself. "I was barren, Anya." Anya hissed in shock and Miranda continued. "The genetic modifications my dear _father_ had done to me rendered me sterile. But with all the changes, technology has improved a great deal. I found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with and we made a new life between us, with a little help from technology. My little boy Eran is a year and a half old, Anya. He is growing up in a future free from the fear of Reapers. _You_ helped bring that future to pass, Anya. My father seems to have hurt you. I _will_ help you." Steel might have shattered under Miranda's tone now. Far from cowed through, Anya relaxed a little.

"You think your father did this to me?" Anya asked quietly. "Why?"

"I don't know." Miranda snarled. "He was dead by the time you vanished. I made sure of that."

"I'll say." Garrus said in a very quiet voice. "Remind me not to tick you off, Lawson." His quiet chuckle dissolved the tension that had grown in the room.

"I remember..." Anya said slowly. "I was biding my time. I was waiting for an opening. I could feel my biotics surging. Even without an amp, I could do things. Something different happened. A mech came in, one with a platter of food. I hit it with what juice I had. It sparked and fell. I ran. Didn't get far."

"What happened?" Miranda asked gently.

"It was corridors. White, no markings that I could see. It looked like a hospital or a lab. But no insignia anywhere. I don't know if I was hit by something, or some implant shocked me or whatever." Anya said sadly. "But suddenly I was on the ground looking at the ceiling. Nothing hurt, but I couldn't move. A mech came up, holding binders and I cut loose. I threw it into the wall so hard it shattered. Then I was free again, but my body wasn't working quite right. I couldn't feel anything. But my limbs were all going in weird directions. I couldn't make my legs work right. I saw more mechs, at least three of them. I hit one with a channel and then threw it. The blast blew them all off their feet. Then I heard a gunshot and woke up back on the table." She shuddered. "It reoriented so I was sitting. I looked down. There was a well healed gunshot wound on my chest and... My belly was big." She shook her head. "I don't know how long I was out. Must have been a while, if I was...pregnant."

"Oh Anya." Crado reached around Lawson to hold her as she cried. Lawson moved to let him. "I am sorry."

"I don't know if I was." Anya said slowly. "I slept a lot. One time when I woke up, my belly was flat again. I tried to break the restraints and something shocked me. Every time I would try the restraints, something would shock me. The shocks were strong enough I felt bones break on occasion. And sometimes when I woke, there would be splints on part of my body. Then my belly was big again, and... I tried..." She was crying again. "I tried to fight..."

"It's okay, Anya." Crado murmured close to her ear. "It's okay. It's over. You are safe."

"Am I?" Anya asked softly. "I heard your voice in my dreams, Crado. Telling me to be strong, to not quit. I wanted to. I _so_ wanted to on occasion. It hurt so much and I was out of control. I had no control over what was done to me. And then... was I pregnant or did I dream that?"

"You didn't." Miranda said sadly. Anya turned an incredulous face at her and Miranda sighed. "Pregnancy leaves certain chemical markers in the human body. We cannot tell how _many_ times, but you were."

"Madre de Dios..." Anya breathed in horror. "I..."

"Anya." Miranda's soft voice cut through her pain and grief. "It is okay. We will find out what happened, and where. When we _do_ we will end this nightmare. For now, you need help. You need more rest. We _may_ be able to do something with your eyes. I am not sure." She said as Anya's face lit up. "But we may. Anything I _can_ do, I will, Anya. I _swear_ to you, I will find a way to help you. We brought Shepard back from the dead. I _think_ this may be a little less involved." She said with a grin as she hugged Anya again.

"Thank you." Anya said soberly. "I..." She shivered a bit and then couldn't stop.

"You need rest, Anya." Miranda said gently. She laid the shivering woman back onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. "I will be back when you wake, and hopefully I will have some answers for you." Miranda looked at the others and Anya slowly sank into sleep and all but Crado headed for the door. She jerked her head at Crado and they moved away from the bed.

"I may be able to rig an interface with the implants in her eyes." Miranda said softly. "Have you told her about our changes?" He shook his head. "You need to. When she wakes. I will be back. I give you _my_ word, Crado Solinus, I will help her. No matter what it takes. I will help her. We can end the quarantine tomorrow morning, move her to a regular medical berth." He nodded to her silently and he stepped back to the bed and Miranda followed the others out of the quarantine ward.


	10. Chapter 10

((Warning: Explicit scene implied))

**Late that night**

A whimper woke Crado from his doze. He didn't sleep much, hadn't since the war. Sometimes it was a pain in the tail, especially when he needed to be diplomatic to someone. Most of the time though, it helped. Like now. He was at Anya's bedside in an instant. One look at her face told the story. Nightmare. Small wonder she had them. She hadn't slept well during the war. Now? She had even more reason to have bad dreams.

"Anya." Crado said gently, not touching her. He knew better. Even a non-biotic special ops soldier was dangerous before they were fully awake. A biotic could kill with a thought even without an amp. "Anya, wake up." A mumbled round of Spanish sounded from her lips. It sounded to his inexpert ears like profanity. He smiled, she hadn't changed. "Come on, Anya." Crado cajoled. "You need to wake up." She jerked in the bed and her eyes opened. He sighed silently as she didn't focus. She still couldn't see.

"_Ah!_" She screamed and then relaxed. "Crado?" She asked after a moment.

"I am here." Crado said softly as he sat down on the side of the bed. He took her right hand in both of his and gave it a squeeze. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah." Anya said, her face working. "I was back on the table. You were there, strapped to another table. I... Crado..." She embraced him tight. Then she buried her face in his shoulder and cried. "I heard you scream and there was nothing I could do."

"Anya, it was a dream." Crado said gently. "Images from your subconscious given form. It wasn't real. I am here, I am real."

"Felt real." Anya said sadly. "It felt...so...real..." She slumped in his arms. "I can't see, Crado. I can't tell if this is real or some kind of trick my captors have come up with to break me. I just don't know."

"Well..." Crado said slowly, drawing out the word. "I... _may_ know a way to convince you." His voice took on a wicked lilt. His hands that had been holding her gently went somewhere else and she gasped in shock.

"Crado... I..." She gasped again as he tickled her. "_Crado!_" She snapped.

"What?" He asked innocently. "I just want to relax you. And _someone_... I can't remember who..." He said with a grin as she gasped gain under his ministrations. "Told me that humans call orgasm 'nature's tranquilizer'."

"You lie like a _rug_." Anya said sharply as he pressed closer to her. "Lorinia told you that. When she was trying to get you to admit you loved me."

"You were so stressed." Crado said sadly as he hugged her. "It was eating you alive. We could all see you trying to hold it together. We wanted to help and you kept pushing all of us away."

"It was too much." Anya replied sadly. "_My_ family was...very disciplined, strict. Good girls wait and all. I had _no_ idea what I was doing. Just that I felt wrong. Lorinia was kind, but... I couldn't. Not with her. We tried, but I couldn't."

"Asari _do_ take some getting used to." Crado said soberly. "She propositioned _me_ a few times. She even offered herself after... After you..." He broke off, unable to continue.

"Did you take her up on it?" Anya asked calmly.

"No." Crado said softly. "I couldn't."

"Crado." Anya said slowly. "Have you had _any_ partners, since me?"

"Dates." Crado said softly. "Ones that members of the team set up. But nothing came of them. None of them could measure up. Some wanted a conquest, some wanted safety and security, some just wanted sanity. I couldn't give them what they wanted. We talked and then we slept in separate beds. I think I irritated the team, Brutiz was talking about sending for one of _his_ female relations."

"A Krogan? Ow." Anya said in wonder. "That might have gotten...messy." She said with a grin.

"Yeah." Crado said softly. "When the Chief called with this job, I jumped at the chance. I mean, I had the whole remainder of the _team_ trying to match make me..." He shook his head. "I didn't want to forget."

"Crado, that is not what we taught each other. We don't forget, but we get on with what has to be done." Anya said as she nuzzled his cheek. "What happened to your family was awful. I don't know what happened to mine, but I assume most did not survive. Odd that the Spectre called me by my family name though." She mused.

"Took me two months of sleeping with you before you told _me_ that you had been a Wilson-Fuentes." Crado said with a smile. "Hardly fair. I told you _my_ full name the night we made love for the first time."

"Bite me. I am not proud of my family." Anya said soberly. "All they cared about was money. Making it, using it and enjoying the perks that came with it. I...didn't like that. I was a throwback, a person who wanted to _serve_, not to _be_ served. I cut all ties. I ran away when I was eighteen, changed my name to just plain Anya when I joined the Alliance. I heard they looked for me, but I doubt they cared enough to tell the truth. I _know_ they survived. I know they likely ran as soon as the Reapers hit, leaving all of their assorted underlings and minions to be harvested." She shook her head. "So Miranda talking about her father really hit me hard. I can sympathize. Mine was never about any legacy. We were just tools to my father. All my sisters were brood mares to be auctioned off for the most reward. He never asked us about our days. He and my mother _inspected_ us at the end of each day to be sure none of us had blemished our bodies, sullied our looks, diminished our value. That is all my sisters and I were to him, animals. Valuable animals."

"Oh Anya." Crado said sadly. "It is over. You are here, with me. And _no one_ is going to take you away from me again."

"If he is still alive, my father will try." Anya said, her tone resigned. "I was an asset. No more. He will try to recover... his...asset?" She paused, unsure.

"Anya?" Crado asked when she didn't speak.

"Something..." Anya said slowly. "I felt... odd... when I said that. As if I had heard it before. But..." She shook her head. "Not that I remember. The last time he told me that, I had just turned eighteen. He was going to marry me off to some rich geezer. Someone named..." She broke off and her face went white. "Madre de _Dios!_" She cursed.

"Anya?" Crado asked softly. "What?'

"The name..." Anya said softy. "I didn't remember until now. The name of the man I was to be sent to, carted off like an animal, caged if needed as my father said..." She shuddered as reaction set in. "His name was Henry Lawson."

"Doctor Lawson's father? This is not a coincidence." Crado said softly. "Anya..." He said gently. "Could your _family_ have done this to you?"

"I..." Anya shook her head, but in bafflement, not negation. "I don't know. I never _heard_ anyone human the whole time, Crado. Not that I remember. I wonder..." She paused, thinking hard. "Would they have been _capable_ of it? Sure. Able to pull it off? I don't know."

"Hmm..." Crado mused. "Well, Doctor Lawson thinks she can help your eyes. And Spectre Williams and Lieutenant Commander Vega both agree that we need to investigate this. Find out what happened to you and why. And I need to bring you up to speed on what has happened. A lot has in the last ten years."

"You have a captive audience." Anya said with a grin. One that turned into a squeak as he tickled her again. "Crado!"

"I can think of something better to do for a while." Crado said as he adjusted his embrace. "Got to be careful with your arm, and the plumbing will limit what we can do but other than that...I want you relaxed." He bent down and kissed her.

* * *

**Two hours later**

"You... are..." Anya sighed in contentment as she carefully lay back. "Insatiable."

"And is that a bad thing?" Crado asked as he straightened his uniform.

"Nope." Anya smiled widely. "I missed you. I missed you so bad. Every waking minute that I remember, I wanted you. I wanted to see you, to touch you. To hear your voice. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I dreamed of you, but... It was never enough." She said, tears starting to fall from her sightless eyes.

"Oh Anya." Crado said gently as he sat back on the bed and held her while she sobbed. "It's okay... Shhh... It's okay."

"Yeah." Anya said after a moment. "It is now. We are together. The docs are going to try and fix my eyes and then _we_ are going to find out what happened and do something about it."

"That is my girl." Crado said softly. "Although... There is something else. I waited. I planned to ask _after_ the Crucible was done and fired, kicking the Reaper's tails. I...Hold out your hands. I studied a bunch of human customs, focusing on the South America continent where you were born." She shook her head but did as instructed. He pulled a tiny box from a pocket and placed it in her hands.

"What is this, Crado?" Anya asked, her tone confused.

"You cannot see what is in it, so I will tell you." Crado said sadly. "A ring." Anya stiffened and he continued. "Anya Wilson-Fuentes, will you marry me?" Crado asked quietly. "I can't promise you children, but I _never_ want to be without you again."

"I..." Anya stammered, shocked. "Crado... I never dreamed... I..."

"You don't have to answer me now." Crado said gently. "You don't have to answer at all. I just had to say it. Now. Before any more craziness tried to tear us apart. You complete ma, Anya. You are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I read up on human customs. I wanted to make an honest woman of you."

"You..." Anya was caught somewhere between snarling and giggling as tears started falling again. "I... Oh Crado..." She said as she embraced him again. "Yes."

Their night dissolved into kisses. Then more.


	11. Chapter 11

"We said you were in good shape, but _geez_." Miranda Lawson's soft, incredulous voice pulled Anya and Crado out of the slumber they shared. Anya raised her head from her lover's chest and smiled at the doctor's incredulous voice. "You might have wanted to wait until your arm healed." The doc said in a dubious tone.

"Nah." Anya said with a smirk. "Waited long enough. Good morning doctor."

"Good morning, Anya. The others will be in shortly, but I wanted to talk to you first. Glad I did. Probably would have shocked the good lieutenant commander. But then again, maybe not." Miranda said with a smile in her voice. "I see you and the private here enjoyed yourselves."

"Well..." Anya blushed hotly. "Yeah." She grinned as Crado sat up and left the bed. She sighed in regret but reminded herself that he _would_ be back. Soon.

"Please tell me you didn't try full... um..." Miranda actually sounded off put for a moment. "That you didn't go all the way. She is still a mess, Crado. _And_ she is still connected."

"No." Crado said sadly. "We didn't go all the way. I didn't want to hurt her and well..." He sounded _very_ embarrassed now.

"Did you have a chance to talk?" Miranda asked sourly. "Or did you just do horizontal calisthenics all night?" Anya felt her face heat, but then it faded. She didn't regret a thing. "Let me check your arm, Anya." Something whirred close at hand and Anya tensed slightly, but a gentle touch said that Crado hadn't gone far. "Good, no damage. Did you talk?"

"Well..." Crado sounded like _he_ was blushing. "Don't tell me no one was monitoring the feeds." Anya blushed again, she had forgotten.

"Medical VIs." Miranda said with a snap. "You are _not_ a prisoner, Anya. Spectre Williams came down _hard_ on full time surveillance. Good thing." She said with a snort. "Otherwise, I bet the video would be going viral by now if I know _anything_ about soldiers."

"I didn't get the chance to explain." Crado said sadly. "We were distracted."

"I see." Miranda said with a sigh.

"It wasn't just that, doc. Crado proposed." Anya said, her face heating. "I accepted."

"Oh Anya." Miranda said with another obvious smile. "Congratulations. I am glad. You will always have each other. I never knew what I was missing until Karl proposed to me. Not that it will always be rosy." She said with a sigh.

"Oh, we have had our share of..." Anya smirked. "Disagreements."

"I learned to run when she started reaching for things to throw." Crado elaborated. "At least she never used her biotics when she got that mad."

"I wanted you to _hurt_." Anya said with a lordly grimace. "Not die quick and painlessly."

"Been there, done that." Miranda said with a laugh. "Having a kid though... It changed things. I had to be more on guard, more careful of what I said and when. Just so you know."

"We..." Anya's face fell. "We can't..." She shook her head. "I mean, human and Turian biology doesn't mesh well."

"Well... With technology, we may find a way." Miranda said with a sigh. "Technology. That actually provides a decent segue into what Crado was _supposed_ to have talked about with you." She had a glare in her voice. "You remember the Crucible."

"Yeah." Anya said, confused. "It fired, right? The Reapers are gone."

"Ah..." Miranda sighed. "Not quite."

"_What do you mean_ 'not quite'?" Anya asked, half rising from the bed. "Did it work?"

"Yes, it worked." Crado replied quickly. Her hands were shaking and he took them in his. "Anya, it worked."

"Then the Reapers were toast, right?" Anya snapped. "_Right?_" She demanded when neither replied.

"Ah, no." Miranda said after a moment. "They were not destroyed."

"Then all that pain, all that loss, all that _death_ was _meaningless?_" Anya screamed the last. "We poured resources from the _entire frelling galaxy_ into that thing and it _didn't work?_" She started to swear in Spanish. "Of all the lousy... stupid... They probably got the plans from a volus used superweapon salesman."

"Anya." Crado said sternly. "It worked. But it didn't destroy the Reapers."

"Then how can you say it _worked?_" Anya demanded. "That was the whole _point_. Blow them to hell and gone." She cursed quietly again and then slumped, her stores of energy drained. A gentle three fingered hand rubbed her arm, soothing, calming.

"Anya, we didn't understand exactly _what_ the Crucible was supposed to do." Miranda said gently. "None of us did. But we knew we couldn't win the war conventionally. Shepard managed to fire the Crucible, somehow." Miranda paused and then sighed sadly. "It killed her."

"Oh. Vaya con Dios, mi hermana... I liked her." Anya stared at Lawson for a moment, her unseeing eyes watering. "So... If it _didn't_ destroy the Reapers, then what happened?"

"Truth be told, we don't know for sure exactly what happened." Miranda said sadly. "We know that the Crucible was only _part_ of the device. It had to mesh with the Citadel."

"The Citadel?" Anya asked, unsure. "That makes no sense."

"It does." Miranda said with a sigh. "The Citadel was the heart of the mass relay system. When the Crucible fired, it used the mass relay system, to transmit an insanely powerful burst of energy around the galaxy. Everywhere where there was a mass relay, the pulse hit and affected. Tore the hell out of the mass relay system, but we have repaired a good chunk of it."

"Affected how?" Anya asked, her tone dazed.

"It changed every organic form of life we have been able to study, Anya." Miranda said gently. "It changed our DNA, on a fundamental level. It made us all... partly synthetic."

"Huh?" Anya asked intelligently.

"We only know bits, Anya." Miranda said quietly. "The Citadel was damaged very badly by the energy pulse. When the repair crews searched, they found a thoroughly trashed artificial intelligence. What little we know, has been recovered records from it's data banks. It talked to Shepard before the Crucible fired and we recovered the audio logs."

"Was _that_ the one the Leviathans made?" Crado asked, prompting another 'huh?' from Anya.

"We think so." Miranda said. For Anya's benefit she explained. "Shepard found out that an ancient race created an artificial intelligence that went berzerk trying to complete it's program. It created the Reapers. Eons ago. It was trying to complete it's program as it was designed. It was designed to find a way to bring order to the chaos that is life and it found a way. By killing organic life when it reached a certain technological level."

"Yuck." Anya said slowly. "So, the AI was trashed. Good riddance."

"Everyone says that." Miranda said with a snort. "Even the Reapers."

"You _talk_ to the Reapers?" Anya asked, her tone turning terrified.

"Anya..." Crado said gently. "A _Reaper_ found the pod you were in. A _Reaper_ is the reason we are together again."

"I..." Anya shook her head, fear oozing from every pore. "I don't believe this. I can't." The gentle hand was back on her arm, soothing, calming.

"I know this is sudden, Anya." Miranda said with a sigh. "I know this is a shock. But... We changed, all of us, when the pulse hit us. We are partially synthetic now. The Reapers and all synthetics became partially organic. The war ended. They started talking, and they have so much information available. About so many things. They want to help us now."

"No." Anya snapped as she jerked away from the hand that was rubbing her. "This is a trick. Another _trick!_ This is all in my head! You! You are trying to Indoctrinate me!"

"No." Crado said sharply. "Anya! No! We are trying to help you!"

"_Get away from me!_" Anya cried as she rolled out of the bed. Pain flared in her broken arm as she rolled over it, but she ignored the familiar feeling. She found her feet, but paused, unsure as to where to go. Then she felt something cold hiss against her bare arm. Warmth spread from it, and she was suddenly weak. "No..." She begged as her legs gave out under her. Someone caught her before she fell.

"Anya, its just a sedative." Warm arms held her as she sobbed. "It will calm you down. Anya, please..." Miranda begged. "We don't _want_ to hurt you. Please, we want to help."

"No..." Anya stammered through a tongue that was suddenly too large for her mouth. "No..."

"Easy, mi amor." Crado's voice was soft and gentle as someone laid her back on the bed. "I know you are scared, but so am I. _For_ you."

"You won't believe me." Miranda said soberly. "Anything I say can be a lie or a half truth. So I need to show you. But that is going to take some work..." A gentle hand traced her brow and she relaxed slightly. "Anya, I didn't want to drug you, but you are too powerful to run around hysterical. You know this."

"I do." Anya said slowly through the fog that surrounded her. "Please..." She wasn't sure _what_ she was asking.

"You are _not_ being Indoctrinated. You will be okay, Anya. Let us explain, and show you." Miranda asked. "_Then_ make up your mind. Okay?" Anya nodded. "Sleep Anya. We have a lot of work to do to get your eyes working again." She was bouyed up into comforting gray, a soft male voice singing a Spanish lullaby in her ear.


	12. Chapter 12

Everything was soft, gentle. Everything was shades of comforting colors. She floated, luxuriating in the softness that wrapped her and held her gently. But then a voice sounded form far, far away.

"Anya?" The gentle female voice pulled her out of the comfortable haze she was floating in. "Anya... Come on girl. Time to wake up." Anya made a soft noise.

"Cómodo..." Anya said muzzily in Spanish then switched to English. "Do I gotta?" ((Translation: Comfortable))

"Yeah." This was Miranda Lawson. Anya remembered the voice now through the haze that suffused her being. "You do. I am sorry for sedating you, Anya. But you were about to activate your biotics. You could have hurt both me and Crado. I didn't want you to do that. If you hurt the one you love, it would hurt _you_. You have suffered enough. As it is, you hurt your arm again when you rolled on it. We have tended it but it will need time to heal, you tore the hell out of the ligaments as well as rebreaking it this time." A slim hand clasped her left one and gave a squeeze.

"Crado..." Anya said softly, her tone scared.

"I am here, Anya." Cado's voice came from nearby and a three fingered hand took her right one and gave it a squeeze. "You are safe."

"Scared." Anya admitted, her tone embarrassed.

"If _anyone_ has a right to some fear, Anya..." Lawson said sharply. "You do. But... I can help now. Open your eyes."

"My... eyes?" Anya asked, unsure. She shook the fuzzy feeling off now that she recognized it. She was coming out of sedation. "I..." She struggled and managed to get her eyelids to crack. Then they did, searing pain shot through the orbs and she groaned as she closed them again. "Ow..." She protested. "What the...?"

"We have the lights dimmed, Anya." Miranda's voice was ultra soft now. "But we need to see if the modifications we did to your ocular implants worked."

"Implants? Modifications?" Anya asked, her tone confused. "Wha-?"

"You have a pair of implants attached to your optic nerves. They look like Cerberus tech, definitely not Alliance." The hand holding her left one gave a squeeze as Anya flinched. "They blocked all the impulses from your eyes. Your eyes are fine, but the data that they have been sending to your brain never got there. We tweaked the implants. You _should_ be able to see now."

"It hurt..." Anya said, snarling at herself. "Are they... damaged?" She asked, trying to maintain a clinical tone.

"You haven't been using them." Miranda said heavily. "We _should_ have covered them up as soon as we realized you couldn't use them. There IS some degradation, but nothing modern medicine cannot fix." She said with a smile evident in her voice. "Try again?"

"If they are hurt..." Anya said slowly. "Should I?"

"Anya." Miranda's voice was whisper soft now. "We need to know how _bad_ they are hurt. Scans can only tell us so much, even now. Come on, you can do it." The doc encouraged. Anya took a deep breath and slowly cracked her lids open again. For a moment she didn't breathe and then she smiled.

"I can see you." She said, her eyes focusing in the dim light on a raven haired human woman who sat on her bedside. Her heart gave a lurch as she saw the woman's eyes. They were glowing. But, then it eased a bit as the woman smiled at her. Anya felt her heart leap. "Doctor Lawson, I presume?" She asked with a grin.

"Oh you are _so_ going to _pay_ for that, girl." Miranda said sternly, but it was undone by the twinkle in her eyes. "But I guess a few bad jokes can be excused after the week you have had. Call me Miranda. Can you follow my finger?" She asked as she held up a finger and moved it slowly around Anya's field of view. Anya's eyes followed the finger until she saw a very concerned looking form standing nearby.

"Crado?" Anya called.

"Let the doc work, Anya." Crado said, but his face eased when he saw her looking at him. His eyes were glowing too. "Good to see you seeing me."

"Oh Crado..." Anya said slowly. "I am sorry. I am so sorry."

"For?" Crado said with a smile as he stepped close. "You did nothing wrong."

"For thinking you and Miranda here wanted to indoctrinate me." Anya said her face falling. She turned back to Lawson who smiled at her. "I am such a stupid ditz sometimes."

"We all are, Anya." Miranda said with a smile. "No one I have ever met is smart all the time. Not humans, not Turians, not AIs, no one." She patted the hand of Anya's splinted arm and sighed. "I don't blame you for your reaction. We dropped a metric ton of information on you at once. I don't blame you for not believing. Heck, I lived _through_ it and I can barely believe it sometimes."

"Did it hurt?" Anya asked slowly, scrutinizing the skin of Miranda's face. She could see something glowing on it. It looked like circuitry.

"Not me." Miranda looked at Crado who shook his head. "One moment, I was fighting for all I was worth, the next... I wasn't. There was a bright green flash and everything just stopped. All the Reaper ground troops we had been fighting just...stopped. It was...weird."

"Yeah." Crado said softly. "I was fighting too. The whole team had deployed, all fifty of us. Everyone who was hale volunteered to join the assault. I wanted to die. The others... I dunno, but when Shepard called, we answered. I am glad I didn't die, now."

"When did this happen?" Anya asked, beckoning Crado to her. He came close and sat on her bedside. She could see the same kind of patterns in his skin, glowing faintly. "And are my eyes glowing too?"

"It happened when the Crucible fired, Anya." Miranda said softly. "And no. It does not seem to have happened to you."

"Huh?" Anya asked, her tone perplexed. "Why not? If you say the pulse hit everywhere that the mass relay system reached...That is everywhere, right?"

"We thought so." Miranda said with a scowl. "So either you were somewhere beyond the mass relay network, or wherever you were was shielded from the pulse somehow. Neither of which seems plausible, but... it seems to have happened."

"Yeah." Anya said softly, then reached out and embraced Crado. "Miranda?"

"Yes?" Miranda asked as she turned to go.

"Thank you." Anya said sincerely. "I bet you hear it a lot, but you really saved me. You made a difference here. You gave me back my eyes and kept me from doing anything dumb. Thank you." Anya repeated quietly. She held out her splinted arm's hand carefully to Miranda who smiled and came close to take it.

"Don't move your arm too far. You wrenched it badly. You are welcome, Anya." Miranda said as she gave the reclining woman's hand a squeeze. "I need to get back to parsing the data. But I am glad the implants responded to my overrides."

"Miranda..." Anya said slowly. "Was your father married?"

"What?" Miranda asked, recoiling a bit. "Why?"

"I remembered something, before Crado proposed." Anya said softly. "My own father... I was just a daughter to him. A commodity to be traded or sold. I ran away when I was eighteen and joined the Alliance. I had no idea I was a biotic or even what I was going to do, just that I had to get away. I assume you have read my file."

"Yes, I have. What does this have to do with _my_ father?" Miranda asked softly.

"The man my father was going to ship me off to- 'caged like an animal if needed' were his exact words-... His name was Henry Lawson." Anya stared as Miranda actually backpedaled a step. "Not an uncommon name, but..."

"My god..." Miranda said softly, dazed. Then she shook herself and her face turned hard. "If _he_ wanted _you_..." She thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, he was never married and there were never any announcements. He wasn't the marrying kind. He wouldn't have wanted you for a wife. Anything he _did_ want you for would have been bad, very bad. I don't know a lot about your family. Old money."

"Yeah." Anya said softly. "Money was everything to my father and mother. Acquiring it, using it, enjoying the perks of it. We, their children, were cattle. Animals to be used to make more money." Despite everything she could do, bitterness soaked into her tone. "I don't know how many survived the Reaper invasion. If he _did_, my father will be wanting me back."

"Well, your _father_ can kiss my butt." Crado interjected. "He has no claim on you. I do." Anya smiled at him, but her smile was melancholy.

"He won't see it that way." Anya said sadly. "And my mother was almost worse."

"Anya..." Miranda said, giving Anya's hand another squeeze. "I don't know what is going to come of this. But _this_ I do know. _No one_ is going to take you against your will. Not now, not ever." Steel rang in her tone. "We have explained what happened. We have shown you what happened to us. What will you do now?"

"Me?" Anya asked uncertainly. "I assume I have orders waiting for me. Whenever High Command gets off their butts anyway."

"Alliance HQ has been remarkably hands off." Miranda said with a grin. "Part of that is Spectre Williams. She has the reputation of.. umm... breaking people who get in her way around the edges. And it is deserved."

"I bet." Anya said quietly. "But why? I am just a soldier."

"Nothing 'just' about you, Anya." Crado said with a mock snarl. "You are mine and I am yours. Deal with it."

"Tyrant." Anya complained whimsically.

"Wench." Crado responded automatically. Miranda sighed dramatically.

"I can _see_ where this is going." The doc said with a grin. "Let me get out of the room before you start, please? I have been too long from _my_ loved ones."

"Miranda." Anya said slowly. "About our fathers..."

"I will look into it." Miranda promised as she moved to the door. "And I will tell the Spectre and the others that you need some...recovery time." She said with a offhand grin. "What do you think? Two hours?" She asked.

"Barely enough time." Anya said as she pulled her husband to be close. "But we will make do. Miranda... Thanks."

"You are welcome Anya." Miranda said sincerely as she stepped out and shut the door.

"Well..." Anya said softly. "Whatever will we _do_ with two hours?"

"I know what I _want_ to do, Anya." Crado said with a sigh. "But you need a shower."

"Are you saying I smell?" Anya demanded, then paused. "Wait a sec... I am not hooked up to tubes or we never would have been able to do half of what we did. How long was I out?" She explored her body and froze as her hands reached her waist and encountered something odd. "And what is _this?_" She asked, unsure as she explored the odd feeling thing around her hips. It hugged them smoothly. It didn't feel like plastic, or metal or anything she had ever encountered before. It didn't feel bad, indeed, she barely felt it at all. She hadn't realized she was wearing it until now.

"You were out for a full day. You needed the sleep. And that? Technology." Crado said with a sigh. "We didn't know how long you would sleep, or how long the sedative would work. You were hooked up to all kinds of tubes and things in the pod. But the docs didn't want to leave you on those, so they had to make some kind allowance for bodily wastes. You certainly were not capable of using the facilities while asleep." He said with a grin.

"You put me in a _diaper?_" Anya asked, her tone low and dangerous.

"No. The docs did and it's not..." Crado said quickly. "Well..." He paused. "I guess you _could_ call it one, it handles waste according to the docs. It doesn't need to be changed or anything and it monitors a lot of bodily functions. Smart diaper maybe." He said with a grin as he retreated from her immediate grab.

"I am _so_ going to _hurt_ you." Anya said slowly. "How do I get it off?" She asked. There were no seams she could find.

"To remove the covering, you press the recessed stubs at the sides of the waistband." A gentle female voice sounded from a speaker nearby. Anya and Crado both froze. "We mean no discourtesy, Anya and Crado Solinus. We will call you that, for you _are_ joined now no matter what any may say."

"Who are you?" Anya asked slowly, her hand seeking Crado's. They squeezed.

"We are Obligatha." The female voice said softly. "We mean no discourtesy." The voice said again. "We were asked to monitor. We feel a need to assist you. We found you and that makes you somewhat our responsibility."

"You...?" Anya felt her face go slack as she realized who she was talking to. "You are the Reaper?" There was no howl, no menace, nothing bad in the tone. Just worry.

"We are, Anya Solinus." Obligatha said gently. "We understand this is a shock. It was as much a shock to us when we woke, surrounded by corpses we had made..." Now, honest-to-god regret sounded in the machine's tone. "We were a small race, only one planetary system to ourselves. We were just beginning to explore our system's mass relay when the Reapers came for us. We fought but were overwhelmed quickly. That was four cycles ago. They harvested us and put our minds into this shell to serve them. We have done _such_ evil since then, such horror. We did not understand, just that we were commanded and it had to be done, but... When the Crucible fired, we remembered. We regret. We are incapable of going mad now, or we are already. That changes nothing. What we did was wrong. We must make what amends we can. Aiding you is a small thing, but a good thing."

"Thank you." Anya said in a small voice. "It is appreciated. You will be monitoring?"

"We will monitor but not intrude." Obligatha said soberly. "It was determined that you would want to know how to undo the covering before you took a knife or omni-blade to it. To bathe, or more." Was there _teasing_ in the machine's voice now? No, it couldn't be. "We wish you joy, Anya Solinus. You now have an hour and fifty minutes." The speaker clicked off and Anya and Crado stared at each other. Without a word, they got up from the bed and moved towards the bathroom.


	13. Chapter 13

**One hour and fifty minutes later**

Anya felt a lot better clad in Alliance uniform again. The shower had helped, even if there really hadn't been time for much fun. The uniform had posed some challenges. After some thought, she had decided to leave the thing around her waist on. If it _did_ monitor her, that was a good thing, right? It didn't hurt, and she wouldn't have to worry about losing control of her bodily functions during a staff meeting. She wished for a moment she had possessed something similar a few times in her past. Long staff meetings with copious amounts of coffee didn't always make for unsoiled undergarments. The rest of the uniform had been... interesting. It hadn't changed much. Same blue and silver colors. Same boots, pants and belt. Same... blouse.

She had tried, but in the end, she had capitulated. She had broken down and asked Crado for help to get the sleeve on over her broken arm. He had rolled the sleeve up, and while she held very still, then eased her arm through the sleeve around the splint. It had hurt, but she was no stranger to pain. After she had the blouse sealed, he had eased a sling around her neck and helped her get her splinted arm into it. She sighed as she set her beret at the correct angle and smiled at Crado who smiled back. The wrap around tinted glasses she wore were not part of the Alliance uniform, but until her eyes healed completely, the docs had been adamant. She could see just fine through them, they auto corrected her focus too. She shook her head at Crado. His fatigues were still a bit rumpled, but then again, _he_ wasn't on display. She was.

"You ready?" He asked softly.

"No." She admitted as she stood carefully. The cast on her arm wasn't heavy, but in the sling it threw her balance off. "I don't see why they want me to wear my medals." She said dubiously as she looked at the rack of ribbons and other glittery things on her chest. "They don't really mean anything except I survived when others didn't."

"That is not true, Anya." Crado said sternly. "You made us what we were. You made the team what it was. You were the glue that kept us together. Heck, you kept Gnarlz from killing Norilo when that stupid Salarian started debating the ethics of the genophage. With Krogan aboard!" Crado said with a shudder. "I really thought we were going to see blood on the walls. Maybe mine. When Gnarlz, Brutiz and Kolmro started going for weapons, I was SURE we were going to have blood. Then you walked into their midst -unarmored- headbutted Gnarlz and slapped Norilo to the floor like the idiot he was. Just like that, it calmed down. The Krogan laughed at the Salarian and it was all good again."

"You just have to get their respect." Anya said softly. "That is all."

"Anya...They respected me." Crado complained. "But.. I am a fairly large Turian and I cannot head butt a Krogan without hurting myself. You are tiny. How the _hell_ did you not hurt yourself?"

"I did." Anya said softly.

"What?" Crado asked, his tone worried as Anya shrugged. "Anya?"

"I cracked my skull and a vertebrae. My head is hard, but not _that_ hard." Anya admitted sheepishly. Crado paled, but she smiled. "Raan'ita kept it quiet. Said I was ill, took care of me for the day it took to heal. You had taken that mission, were gone the whole time. Hurt like hell. But..." She shook her head. "You have to understand. Krogan respect strength. I showed mine. They also respect bravery."

"Or craziness." Crado asked, awestruck. " And if they hadn't backed down?"

"They knew my fields were ready to go too." Anya said simply. "If they hadn't, I would have killed them all. I wouldn't have had a choice. We didn't have _space_ for a brawl the way those three would have." She slumped a bit. "I am glad it didn't come to that."

"Me too." Crado said with a sigh. "You are _nuts,_ woman. But I love you anyway."

"Good, because I love you too." Anya said with smile as she pecked him on the cheek. "Let's do this." He nodded and they strode to the door. It opened and the two Turian guards outside saluted. Both of them had eyes that glowed just like Miranda's and Crado's. Anya paused for a moment and then returned the salute with her off arm, her right arm being splinted and in a sling. "Good morning." She said politely.

"Captain." The NCO on the right said easily. Anya nodded.

"Are you an escort?" Anya asked. "Crado knows the ship, but it is probably for the best if we _don't_ trust him to do anything complicated. He gets confused easily, you see." She said with a grin as Crado sighed. Neither of the Turians smiled, but both looked like they wanted to.

"Yes, Ma'am." The NCO said with a nod. "Sergeant Frolis. We are to guide you to the commander's briefing room, Captain. Follow me." He nodded and started off.

"I thought there was only one captain on a ship, so I should be temporarily brevetted to major or something?" Anya said in a bemused tone as she followed. "Or is that just human inefficiency?" She queried.

"Wouldn't know about human ships, Ma'am." The NCO said quietly. "But the commander said to call you by your current rank."

"Okay."Anya said with a shrug. "I know better than to argue with a ship's commander aboard the ship." She glanced at Crado who winced. "Unlike _some_..."

"It's not far, Ma'am." Sergeant Frolis said with a nod. "Not a big ship."

"Big enough to save my sorry rear end, Sergeant." Anya said soberly. "Please convey my appreciation for the rescue to the crew. I know it's an awful job generally, graves registration sucks. But it _is_ needed. And greatly appreciated." Both the Turians in her escort nodded to her.

"Least we could do, Ma'am." The sergeant said soberly. "We have more ships than the Alliance. More personnel to spare to do other tasks."

"I know." Anya said with a sigh. "Still, I would have expected any _human_ government to keep it's navy close at hand, just on general principle. Having a bunch of strong backs ready and willing at any moment can't hurt during reconstruction efforts. So the Hierarchy sending you out here means a lot to soldiers like me."

"We volunteered, Ma'am." The private at her side said quietly. "Each and every one of us." Anya nodded to him and then focused on keeping her feet moving. She was nowhere close to recovered. Her arm stung like hell and she was trying not to stagger.

"Anya?" Crado asked. "You okay?"

"Tired." Anya said with a sigh. "Weak." Sergeant Frolis looked at her and Anya glared at him. "Oh no, don't even _think,_ it sergeant." She half snarled.

"Captain?" The sergeant asked respectfully.

"You were going to suggest I get a wheel chair or get carried. Hell no." Anya snapped. "I may be hurt, but I am _not_ an invalid. I am _still_ an Alliance soldier and Alliance soldiers do _not_ quit!" The sergeant paused and turned to her, his expression hard to read.

"No." Sergeant Frolis said, his tone respectful. "No, you don't and N7s are even more crazy." He shook his head. "What is it you say? Hoo-yah?"

"Hooyah?" Anya snapped, straightening her posture and glaring at the sergeant. "What is it with people thinking we are some kind of aquatic mammals?" She shook her head. "It is HO-AH!" She said, her posture stiffening in automatic, trained response to the call to battle.

"No offense, Ma'am." The sergeant WAS smiling now. "We say 'CO-SIP'! "

"Blackwatch?" Anya asked slowly. He nodded and she smiled. "When you care enough to send the very best." The Turian Blackwatch was a legend within Special Ops communities. They were the standard to which EVERY other spec ops team in Citadel space was held to. They were the elite OF the elite, the absolute best spec ops team the Turian military had created. Their missions were always highly classified, but when it absolutely, positively had to be done -now and quietly- they were the Turian military's ultimate go to people. "I had a Turian work with me for a while who I was sure was with you guys. Picked him up on Invictus during the recon for an op."

"Private Griz." The sergeant's soft words were neither a confirmation or denial.

"Did he make it?" Anya asked. "He was hit -bad- in the mission just before I ... um..."

"He did." The sergeant said with a nod. "Lost a leg, but got a prosthetic. He is a senior NCO at a specialized training academy now. He trains recruits how to handle cross species interaction."

"_Griz_ is doing _what_?" Anya asked, incredulous. "That guy was so uptight I was amazed his head didn't fly off his shoulders and go onto orbit all on it's own every time he got mad." She shook her head. "I always hoped I didn't fubar his mission when I snatched him from under a Harvester on Invictus. But I never asked."

"He is still uptight, Ma'am. But... I can tell you this. You didn't." Sergeant Frolis said with a small smile that vanished fast. "You saved his tail, and gave him a chance to keep fighting. That is all I can say."

"I am glad." Anya said with a sigh. "Any intel you _can_ share, sergeant? What am I walking into here?"

"Don't know a lot, Ma'am." The sergeant said as he started off again. "One thing, two ships arrived an hour ago, wanting to talk to the commander. Scuttlebutt says they are press." He said calmly.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me..." Anya said with a sigh. "I _hate_ the press. Shoot me, please. Put me back in medical!" She asked, only half whimsically.

"Sorry, Ma'am." The sergeant said with a sigh. "Orders are orders. I am to get you to the commander unscathed." Anya groaned and he smiled. "Look at it this way, Ma'am. Your team did a _lot_ of good things. Few of them could or would talk about what they did. You can."

"I_f_ I get authorization." Anya said sourly. "Otherwise I just have to go with the standard 'can neither confirm nor deny'. They deserve recognition, but... I cannot disobey orders."

"I know." Sergeant Frolis said with a sigh as well. "But know this. I am honored to have met you, Ma'am. My CO heard about this, asked me to pass this along too. 'We would be proud to serve with you, any time, any place'." Anya paused, her eyes wide. For a Blackwatch member to say _that_... "Now... You ready Captain?" He asked formally as he paused before a door. Anya took a deep breath and nodded. "Good luck, Ma'am." He and the private too places by the door and Anya blinked. Was he the _captain_'s bodyguard? If so, why was he escorting _her_? She shook her head minutely. Later.

"Thanks, sergeant." Anya said with a smile as she braced to attention and strode to the door, Crado a pace behind her. She hit the com by the door and spoke evenly. "Captain Anya, reporting to Commander Mornis as ordered."

"Come in, Captain." The voice of Commander Mornis said and the door hissed open. She steeled herself and marched into the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Anya marched to what would have been the proper position on a human ship and saluted the Turian who sat behind the desk. She had to use her off arm again, but it came more naturally this time. A human female with black hair and absolutely huge scarred man in combat armor stood behind the commander's desk. The commander rose and returned it. The commander dropped his and Anya was glad to drop hers. She was starting to shake.

"Commander." Anya said formally. "Reporting as ordered."

"Captain." The Turian said with a nod. "Now that the formality is out of the way, sit. Now. Before you collapse and wind up back in medical." He waved to a chair nearby and Anya nodded. She _did_ wait for him to sit first. Decorum and all that. Crado moved to stand beside her chair as she perched in it. Commander Mornis smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak, but much better, sir." Anya replied evenly. "Doctor Lawson managed to fix my eyes. She said that they were working, but the signals were blocked."

"That is...remarkably evil, even for Cerberus. If it _was_ Cerberus." The black haired woman said harshly in a voice that Anya remembered. This had to be Spectre Williams. Her face moderated as Anya looked at her. "I am Spectre Williams and this..." She waved at the male mountain beside her. "...is Lieutenant Commander Vega. Not that you haven't figured that out by now, but I wanted to get the formal stuff done first." She smiled at Anya and Anya returned it hesitantly. The woman's eyes were glowing and it was a little off putting. "Something wrong?" The Specter asked gently.

"I..." Anya shook her head. "I saw Crado and Miranda. They told me what happened to you all. But it is very..." She paused, unsure. "I don't know _how_ to describe it. It's not uncomfortable, seeing your eyes glowing, it just..." She sighed.

"It's weird." Williams said with a nod. "_We_ are all used to it. It will bother you for a while I bet. The whole 'glowy bits of skin' likewise." The Spectre shrugged. "Nothing we can do about that though."

"I know." Anya replied evenly. "I can work with it." She smiled a bit in memory. "If I could work with Geth, Quarians, Krogan, Salarians, Batarians and humans on a tiny ship all at the same time, I can handle this." Lieutenant Commander Vega smiled at little at that but then returned to a poker face. "Have you been able to backtrack the pod I was in?"

"No." Spectre Williams said harshly. "The pod didn't have an engine so no ion trail. Nothing is along the trajectory that we have been able to find. Not even any planetary systems."

"Hmmm..." Anya mused. "A ship?"

"If so..." The Spectre said slowly. "It is well hidden. You told us what you remember. We will keep looking. One thing, Anya... The trajectory that the pod was following would have put it into the gravity well of Arcturus in another two years." Anya tensed. She would have fallen into the star and been burnt alive.

"I would have died." Anya said slowly. She nodded. "Thank you, Commander Mornis."

"Thank Obligatha." The Commander said with a nod. "It found you. Our sensors probably would have just classed your pod as space trash with no IFF going. It is far more thorough and it is _far_ better at things like multitasking. It said it spoke to you."

"Yes." Anya said slowly. "It spoke to me, in medical. Wished me well." Anya shook her head. "I... That was... Very strange."

"Yeah." Commander Mornis said with a sigh. "Obligatha is... Yeah, 'very strange' is probably the best definition. Not that I have dealt with many Reapers."

"Obligatha is...different." Spectre Williams mused slowly. "It is far more... alive seeming than most of the others I have talked to. Matter of fact... Commander?"

"Yes Spectre?" The commander asked.

"Is it monitoring now?" Williams asked. "We should get _it's_ input as well." Anya's eyes went wide under her protective glasses. Asking a Reaper for advice?

"Yes." Commander Mornis said with a nod. "We asked it to monitor Captain Anya here at all times. Since there were so many oddities, we couldn't be sure we would or could catch anything that might happen, Captain." He apologized.

"No apology needed, Commander." Anya said with a nod. "In your place I likely would have done the same thing. And it was...kind." She shook her head. "I _never_ thought I would say that about a Reaper of all things. So it is listening?"

"But not talking." Commander Mornis said with a nod. "It explained, but I didn't understand all of it. Basically, the information it gets from your monitoring goes into a separate memory core or something. Unless asked, it cannot access that core until or unless you are going to endanger yourself." He paused. "Wait. _Why_ did it talk to you?" He asked, an edge of suspicion to his tone.

"Ah..." Anya could not control the blush that crossed her face. "I was...distressed by the plumbing arrangements."

"The..." Williams said and then her face lit in understanding. "Oh. _Oh!_" She exclaimed. "Yeah... that _could_ be a bit distressing the first time." She said with a slightly sick smile.

"Obligatha was worried I might take a knife to it." Anya said with a sigh. "I wouldn't have. I have _some_ sense." Crado looked at her and she made a shushing motion with her unbroken arm. "It was...kind." She said with a shake of her head. She nodded to the commander who hit keys on his desk.

"Obligatha?" He asked.

"Yes commander Mornis?" The melodious voice of the Reaper sounded from the speaker nearby. "Greetings, Spectre Williams, Lieutenant Commander Vega, Captain Anya and Private Crado."

"Have you found anything else?" Mornis asked.

"We have found the wreckage of two more Alliance frigates." Obligatha said, sadness in her tone. "But no sign of where the pod that Captain Anya was in came from or where it was going. To search in more depth will require much more time."

"The pod didn't have any kind of FTL capability did it?" Anya asked slowly in the silence that fell. "I mean, this is a _long_ way from Sanctum. And I didn't climb into that thing." She shuddered slightly. "That I know of anyway..."

"You had to have been placed in it." Williams mused. "Too many delicate connections for you to have done them yourself. Wait... If the pod was heading for the star... Obligatha, is there anything further _in_ system along that trajectory? The Normandy went outbound. They didn't find anything and are on their way back."

"We are out of position to scan." Obligatha replied. "We will send an Oculus. It will take approximately two hours to scan the trajectory."

"Fair enough." Commander Mornis said with a sigh. "Now we have to deal with our 'guests'."

"'Guests', sir?" Anya asked carefully.

"Yes." Commander Mornis said with a scowl. "Press."

"Oh man..." Anya groaned. "You have _got_ to be kidding me..."

"Nope." Spectre Williams said with a commiserating smile. "You are news, girl. _Big_ news. A bona fide war hero, returned from the dead."

"I am no hero." Anya said slowly. "I just did what I had to."

"I know that." Williams said with a sigh. "_You_ know that. Everyone aboard this ship knows that. But to the average civilian, many of whom are _still_ trying to get back on their feet after the mess of the war? People need heroes. Anya. People need examples to live up to. Your example of interspecies cooperation is a marvel that _many_ would do well to follow."

"I thought there was peace." Anya said slowly. "Isn't there?"

"There is no large scale conflict." Williams agreed. "Mainly because all of the large militaries got hammered by the Reapers. Many worlds, including many of the homeworlds, are trashed, or have suffered greatly. Earth, Palaven, Thessia, Dekuuna, Kar'Shan... The list is _still_ being calculated. We are recovering, but there are many who are using this unsettled time to prey on the weak." Anya's eyes went hard at that and Spectre Williams nodded. "We do what we can. We step _hard_ on any we catch. But we are still playing catch up here. You may be able to help."

"Me?" Anya asked softly. "What can one woman do?" She looked at Vega as he laughed sourly.

"One woman who took a bunch of lost military, desperate mercs and green civilians who had never held a gun before in their lives and turned them into one of the hardest hitting Spec Ops teams of the time?" Vega asked with a snort. "One woman who kept a bunch of people who hated each other's guts from each other's throats and aimed at the Reapers? One woman who, by all accounts, could do _any_ mission set to her?" He shook his head. "Yeah, what _could_ that woman do?" He smirked. "Answer? Anything she fracking wants." All the others smiled in agreement as Anya stared at hem.

"It wasn't like that, sir." Anya said faintly. "We just did what we had to do."

"You technically outrank me, Anya. Certainly you have more time in service." Vega said with a snort. "If anything I should be sir-ing you."

"Please don't." Anya said slowly. "I feel... overwhelmed. I know part is lack of energy. I am not fully healed. But..." She shook her head. "I assumed I would have orders. I am a soldier."

"Alliance HQ is waiting for more information. We _could_ use you." Vega said, his tone moderating. "We still find the odd petty pirate or warlord with delusions of grandeur and have to put him in his place. Integrating the Batarians into the Alliance has been..." He broke off as Anya gasped.

"Say _what_?" She asked, dumbfounded. "Batarians?"

"Yeah." Vega said with a grimace. "More than three quarters of their people were harvested by the Reapers. Of the rest... Many who fought died. The remainder had few leaders and fewer chances. The Alliance offered them more than aid. We offered them a place. They took it. The Alliance was badly wounded, and the Batarians needed stability and a chance to find a new way. The Hegemony was gone, and with it, most of their racism and xenophobia. Oh, they are slow to trust, but... Both groups have prospered. We even had one Batarian pass N7 training last year. One of yours actually. His name is Bibrikz."

"_Bibrikz_?" Anya snapped. "That guy was a jerk and a half. Whiz with his Kishock sniper rifle, but... A jerk."

"He is still a jerk." Vega said with a smile. "Tough hombre though."

"Do I want to _know_ what specialty?" Anya asked, her tone almost scared. "I mean... He was tough back then, but..."

"Paladin." Vega said with a smile.

"_Paladin_?" Anya nearly exploded. "Paladins are there to draw fire from the team! They have to be ready to sacrifice themselves for the whole! Bibrikz is no Paladin! I have never met a more self centered, stuck up, egotistical male in my _life_. How the _heck_ does _he_ wind up a paladin?"

"Something about 'an excellent example to live up to' is what he told me when we talked last." Vega said with a smile. "I helped train him. He has what it takes Anya. And he says _you_ taught him that. He is still a jerk, mind you, but he _does_ believe in teamwork now. Because of you. You can help us, Anya."

"By talking to the press?" Anya asked dubiously.

"There are a lot of people worried about the Krogan now, Anya." Spectre Williams said with a sigh. "With the genophage cured, their population is growing fast. You worked with them. You knew them. The Krogan on your team respected you."

"If it will help..." Anya said slowly. "The team deserves whatever I can do for them. Way too many of them died."

"I will set it up." Commander Mornis said with a sigh. "Here or the Normandy, Spectre Williams?"

"Here I think." Williams said slowly. "Your people are more disciplined. I _shudder_ to think what Joker might blurt out and have plastered all over the nightly news..."


	15. Chapter 15

**Two hours later**

"How is that, Captain?" The bright and perky woman in front of Anya asked quickly, her glowing eyes concerned. "Better?" She had introduced herself as Gail Horniliy, working for the Alliance News Network.

When the camera had first clicked on, the lights on the floating device had been so bright that even through her protective glasses, Anya had been blinded for a moment. She hadn't complained, but it had been obvious that she was uncomfortable. Crado had been a bit distressed. He flatly refused to leave her side, Commander Mornis made it official. She was still on sick call, she was to be escorted. The reporter who had come aboard had been apologetic and worked to lower the lights to suit Anya. The camera now hovered at the other woman's shoulder, showing both her and Anya. Gail sat back down and the camera followed her.

"Yes." Anya said as she tried not to fidget. She didn't like sitting around and she had essentially been ordered to sit. The docs had taken one look at her skin pallor and demanded she sit for the interview. Again, the reporter had been eager to work with the crew. Anya carefully did not look at herself. She was still in her dress uniform. "I can't say I am comfortable with this, but it is better."

"Have you ever been interviewed, Ma'am?" The reporter asked quietly. "I am here for _you_, to tell your story. This is about you, not me." She said flatly. "If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I will change it. This isn't the movies. I like my job." She said with a wide grin. "I don't want to lose it. We will be recording, but you and the brass have final say on anything I will file."

"I know it isn't like the movies." Anya said softly. "But no. The closest I ever did was do some press releases when we started recruiting for the teams."

"Okay then." Gail said quietly. "We will start basic." She hit a key on her omni tool and the camera hummed a little. She spoke evenly. "This is Gail Horniliy with the Alliance News Network interviewing a special guest. Can I get your name and rank please, Ma'am?"

"Anya." Anya said clearly. "Captain, Alliance Special Forces."

"Just Anya?" Gail asked, checking her notes. "No family name?"

"Just Anya." Anya said flatly. _For now anyway_. She thought to herself.

"Fair enough, Captain Anya." Gail said with a nod. "I know there are many things you cannot answer. So I will try to keep it simple. You were listed as Missing In Action ten years ago. What happened?"

"We are not sure." Anya said with a shrug. "I was a prisoner, that we know. The docs say I was drugged for a long time. I have no memory of it, whatever happened. Then this ship, the Turian Frigate _Wings of Xenobia_, picked me up in a lifepod. I have no idea how I got here, what happened or why. The last thing I remember clearly was getting shot. And that was on the other side of the galaxy. How I got here? No clue." She said with a small grimace.

"I see." Gail said with a frown. "How does it feel? To be here?"

"It's a bit overwhelming to tell the truth." Anya said soberly. "The last thing I remember was fighting, and getting shot. There have been a number of changes, both large and small. Some are easy to handle." She nodded to Crado. "Seeing people's eyes glowing was bit disconcerting at first. But now, I expect it."

"Do you have any idea why yours do not?" Gail asked gently,

"No." Anya said with a shrug. "The docs are stumped. Eventually, they are going to take me to a full on hospital and I expect to be poked and prodded a lot until they get answers." She smiled a little. "Medicine hasn't changed _that_ much, unfortunately."

"No, it hasn't." Gail said with a laugh. "What will you do, now that you are back in the lands of the living?"

"Get on with my life." Anya said with a nod. "I assume the Alliance could use another soldier. Even if she _is_ a little broken around the edges at the moment." She said fingering her cast a little.

"What happened?" Gail asked, concerned. "Did your captors do that?"

"No." Anya said with a laugh. "I did it to myself. I couldn't see when I first woke up. My first reactions were trained reflexes. But I was clumsy and fell. I managed to break both forearm bones." She sighed. "Teach me to roll when I fall." She shook her head. "My drill instructors in Basic would have some _loud_ words for me being so clumsy." She said with grin. "I am not usually so clumsy, but I couldn't see and I _had_ just woken up."

'Excuses, excuses...' A whisper came from Crado. Gail looked at him and smiled but then spoke to Anya again.

"During the war, you led a team of irregulars." Gail said, checking her notes. "One of what were called the N7 Special Ops teams."

"I had that privilege." Anya said quietly.

"The team you led was extraordinarily effective." Gail commented. "By most accounts, your team was instrumental in a number of successful actions."

"I am afraid I am not allowed to comment on most of the actual operations. The mechanics of much of what we did is still classified, and may put soldiers at risk." Anya said calmly. "But as for the people I commanded? Those I can speak of and will gladly."

"It was an interspecies team, correct?" Gail asked, perusing her notes. "Humans and aliens working together just after the beginning of the Reaper War?"

"Correct." Anya said with a nod. "It was a mess. The Reapers hit the Batarians first. The Hegemony tried, but couldn't mount an effective defense without any allies. Then the Reapers hit Earth and few days after that, they hit Council space. Everything was chaos, no one knew where to go or what to do. I think the fact that I had a plan of sorts was what first drew people to me."

"What kind of plan?" Gail pressed.

"We couldn't match the Reapers ship to ship, it just wasn't feasible." Anya said with a sigh. "But they had rear areas, supply lines, staging areas, harvesting centers. We could hit those. We also needed information on what was happening on planets they had taken control of. So we went. And everywhere we went, beings came looking for a chance to fight. First recruits I found were Turians, the Private here was one of them." She waved a hand at Crado who nodded slightly. "Their units were gone, they had no orders. And they were _mad_. But others came when the Alliance called for people who knew how to fight. Batarian survivors, Krogan mercenaries, Salarian techs and Asari survivors of mercenary bands. Then others. Quarians and Geth." Anya paused as Gail exhaled.

"Quarians and _Geth_?" Gail asked dubiously. "On the same team? They didn't like each other much then."

"You must have taken a class on how to make massive understatements. But yes. It didn't happen overnight." Anya said with a sigh. "We needed a medic and found one. Her name was Raan'ita vas Orenli. She was a Quarian engineer with a specialty in biosciences. A better combat medic, I do not think I have ever met." Anya smiled in memory. "Raan'ita was a tyrant in her sickbay, but a warm heart as well. Her husband, Jolun vas Orenli was a gifted tech and an excellent shot as well. They were a package deal. They had been ambushed by a Reaper, their ship shot to hell. They managed to escape, but their ship was scrap. They were rescued by an Alliance force. They were stuck in Council space, we needed techs, and didn't _plan_ to take _either_ of them into combat. That...didn't last."

"What happened?" Gail asked when Anya didn't speak for a moment.

"Raan'ita demanded to come and help tend our wounds in the field...after... Well...We lost a few people to wounds she could have treated. She didn't like that and neither did I. But she wasn't a combatant. She trained hard though. And... Well..." Anya paused, gathering her thoughts. "We had a Batarian soldier join us, a young one named Amlir." Anya said softly. "Scrawny, half starved wreck, but angry. So angry. Until we got him some training, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a shotgun -we didn't find out _why_ until later- but didn't really need to. He was always spraying the area with rounds from his Avenger, rarely hitting anything. He was a whiz with grenades. His favored tactic was to run to a mob of enemies while throwing as many grenades as he could. Usually shouting at the top of his lungs. Then he laid about with his fists." Anya shook her head and Crado laid a hand on her shoulder. Anya nodded to him and he withdrew it. "We..." Anya paused, her face sad. "We didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" Gail asked slowly.

"I _can_ talk about this mission. We were tasked to hit a facility on Tuchanka." Anya said with a sigh. "The target was a ground to space cannon facility, a big one. It had fallen to the Reapers and we had to take it back. We did basic recon, took the area, but then the Reapers counterattacked. Raan'ita had come, as medic and technical support. We found a Reaper computer terminal and she started hacking it to find any intel we could salvage on _how_ the Reapers had taken the place when we saw the horde. So many husks. We opened fire, but we hadn't brought any heavy artillery. We were set up as a sneak team, not a heavy combat team for that op. My biotics stopped a lot of them, but they just kept coming. Hundreds of them. We were holding our own when Raan'ita screamed. Some had managed climb walls to get around us and attack her. Amlir spun in position and charged. He tore them to shreds. Then he turned back to his sector and I remember the look on his face... satisfaction..." She said with a shudder. "He charged the horde, alone. He threw _all_ of his grenades, and they took out five or six with each detonation, but there were so many of them..."

"That's crazy." Gail said softly.

"No." Anya said sadly. "Actually it wasn't. They were going to roll right over us despite our fire. Raan'ita had the most powerful long range blasts at her disposal, but her sentry turret went down and she was too busy hacking to set a new one. He held them. They swarmed at _him_, he was closest. His armor was spiked, so when they grabbed him, they hurt themselves. He waded into the whole group, firing until his rifle overheated, then swinging it like a bat. He held their attention long enough for Raan'ita to finish her hack, then the rest of the team rushed to his aid. We hit them while they were distracted and tore them apart. But there were too many so we called for evac. Figured we would bomb the place. An airstrike or two would do the job without wrecking the real estate. HQ said no, so we went back in, but we needed to get heavier firepower first. With the information that Raan'ita recovered, we managed to take the place back the next day. But Amlir... We grabbed him and ran. He was a mess."

"I bet." Gail said softly.

"That is not the worst." Anya said softly. "He died on the way up to the ship. He looked me in the eyes and said 'I never knew what freedom was. This is a good death. Free.'. Then he died. I...uh..." Anya sighed. "I had lost troops, before. But... this was worse. I didn't know why. Until later. Raan'ita called me into sickbay, crying." Anya shook her head. "The Hegemony implanted ID tags into all of their citizens for ease of identification. Basic info only, name, date of birth, ID number, that kind of thing. We were going to pull his, send it to the Batarian delegation on the Citadel. Raan'ita had pulled it, accessed the information on it and _freaked_. Amlir wasn't the name of the Batarian who died."

"What was it?" Gail asked, unsure.

"_Her_ name was Rilma." Anya said softly. "All the time we knew her, we all thought she was a scrawny male. Batarians mature fast. She would have been fourteen standard a week after she died." Gail's eyes went wide at that and Anya nodded. "We had learned a bit, the kid didn't talk much but sometimes dropped a little here and there. She had been a sharecropper on a planet called Erszbat. Little better than slave. Somehow, she escaped the Reaper attack, and got armor and a weapon while escaping the planet. Her family wasn't been so fortunate. She had watched them die. Nine siblings, two parents. Gone." Anya shook her head. "None of us understood _why_ she couldn't shoot straight at first, but could throw grenades with pinpoint precision. It was simple. She hadn't ever _had_ a rifle until she grabbed one off a dead soldier while escaping, but she sure knew how to throw rocks. She died, saving our team. She died a hero. She was _thirteen_ and she died saving us." Gail was almost in tears. Anya nodded.

"My god." Gail said softly. "And the Batarians?"

"The leaders didn't want anything to do with her." Anya said sadly. "She was low caste, and no one knew any of her kin. So we... We held a ceremony ourselves in a cargo bay on the Citadel. A couple of Batarians came, I think they were curious. Then a Batarian priest showed up. He... He praised us for honoring her. He said 'Strength comes in all sizes and shapes'." Anya shook her head. "We got a _lot_ of Batarian recruits after that. We needed them. Every mission we lost people." Anya shook her head. "Dead or so badly hurt as to be evacuated for medical care. I was in medical quite a bit myself. Not very safe, our work. We got our first Geth recruits a week after Shepard ended the war on Rannoch. Raan'ita and her husband did not trust the Geth, but they _did_ trust me and I trusted Shepard when she said the Geth would not be a threat to us. Indeed, they were a great help."

"That is incredible." Gail said slowly. "There is one question though, Captain."

"I know." Anya said heavily. "The Krogan. That was Gail's segment." Anya said slowly as she looked to the side. "Are you ready for yours?" She asked, turning to the side where an impatient human stood watching. At least he hadn't spoken during Gail's interview. Of course, Gail _had_ said something about muting any extraneous noises on her end.

"I have already protested this stupid plot on the part of the military to defraud my viewers of the truth." The pinch faced man standing off to the side said sourly. "Are you actually ready to tell the truth?"

"Mr. Ranas..." Anya said reasonably. "Everything I have said is the truth. Everything I have said can be corroborated."

"The _whole_ truth?" The man who had introduced himself as Wek Ranas, senior reporter for Westerlund News, said snidely. "Yeah, right." He stepped forward and made a shooing motion at Gail who sighed.

"Trying to goad me is a bad idea, Mr. Ranas." Anya said evenly as Gail hastily vacated the chair. "Gail..." She smiled at the other woman. "Stick around." Gail nodded but stepped to the door and exited the room hastily. The camera stayed where it was, a light on it shifting to red as Ranas approached it, then turning green again.

"I see." Ranas snapped. "Giving preferential treatment to tail kissers." He paused as Anya shook her head. "No? Then what?"

"Old saying, Mr. Ranas." Anya said calmly. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. She is polite, and easy to work with. You are not. And I refuse to be baited into being your next tabloid expose. You _may_ be able to edit the images you take of me, make me appear as some kind of extranet drama queen or some kind of freak. But I have unimpeachable witnesses as to what I am wearing and this entire interview _is_ being recorded by my military and the Turian military." Anya said, baring her teeth in what might have been charitably called a smile. A Vorcha would have liked it. Maybe. "I may be ten years out of date, but I _do_ remember shock jock tactics. I was a teenager once too." Ranas looked a bit unnerved and Anya nodded. "So if you _truly_ want to push this, go right ahead. You will _not_ like what happens." Behind her, Crado rubbed two of his bone plates together, making a horrid screeching sound. Anya sighed. "Private Crado, stop that please."

"Yes, Ma'am." The Private said evenly, not taking his eyes off the male reporter. He _did_ stop making the noise. Anya waved Ranas to the chair and he sat carefully, as if he were afraid it would explode.

"So you say everything you said, even that sob story about a female Batarian pretending to be a male, was true?" Ranas asked sharply. "I find that hard to believe." The male reporter said coldly as he checked the camera settings.

"So did I." Anya said evenly. "We documented _everything_ just in case any of the Batarians tried to make a case against us. Funny thing, the Batarian refugees considered her a hero of sorts. Escaped the Reapers, fought and died well." Anya shrugged. "She was credit to her species."

"And underage." Ranas said with a sly grin.

"If you _really_ want to die **_screaming_**..." Crado said in a low and dangerous voice. "Publish that fact the way you usually do where any Batarian survivors can see it. I guarantee you there will be blood. Yours."

"Private Crado!" Anya snapped. "Control yourself or I will ask for another escort."

"Trouble in paradise?" Ranas asked with a oily smile. "I know you and the private have a 'special' relationship."

"No. Actually..." Anya said with a genuine smile as she held up her left hand. "I figured to give _you_ a scoop too." Rana's eyes narrowed on the ring that adorned her finger, then he inhaled sharply. "The Private and I are engaged. I am sure..." She said as the man stared at her. "That you can and will drag any and every fact you can dredge up into the muck. It is what you _do_. I am giving you this ammunition on the condition that you do _not_ push it any further. If you do, it will not go well for you."

"Is that a threat, Captain Anya?" Ranas asked coldly.

"I don't make threats, Mr. Ranas." Anya replied equably. "I make promises. If you have read _any_ of my record, you know that." The man stared at her and then burst out laughing.

"_Dang_, woman..." Ranas said as he chortled. "You got stones. You would, wouldn't you?" He asked in a serious tone. Anya just looked at him and he nodded. "I assume you have as much information on _me_ as I have on you. More probably." Ranas said in a serious tone. "Much of your file is classified."

"I know that despite your reputation, your holo show is a particularly popular one." Anya said with a genuine smile. "I am not into that kind of thing myself, but you _do_ research your stories and you _do_ present them well. You do not just make up information to suit your story, unlike some of your peers."

"Well..." Ranas actually looked embarrassed for a moment. "This is _not_ what I planned to do with my life. It just sort of happened. I went to school to learn how to present the truth, not make it up."

"Which is one reason Alliance HQ gave the information to your boss al-Jilani." Anya said with a nod. Ranas stared at her and Anya smiled widely. "Come on, didn't you _wonder_ why she sent you?"

"I did." Ranas said with a slowly growing smile of his own. "She DID seem remarkably well informed. Oh Khalisah..." He chuckled. "Stuck behind an editor's desk and she is _still_ sneakiness and snarkiness made human."

"I didn't know any of this myself." Anya admitted. "But apparently the Alliance has been working overtime to figure out HOW to reintegrate me." She sighed. "I don't _like_ being called a hero, but if it helps the Alliance, I guess I can put up with it."

"Okay." Ranas said with a smile. "Let's try again?" He asked. Anya nodded. "I will say something in the intro to the effect of me being polite under threat of 'grievous bodily harm' or some such. That is vague enough that no judge is going to _dare_ try anyone on it and lurid enough that my viewers will be glued to the sets."

"Works for me. "Anya said with a smile. "You want me smiling evilly or coldly stern?"

"Good question." Ranas said, pursing his lips in thought. He turned towards Crado with a smile. "What do _you_ think? You are marrying her. Which is scarier?" Crado looked at him and then at Anya who grinned.

"I don't know." Crado said with a shrug. "She can be scary either way. Hmmm..." He pondered. "Cold I think. Nothing says 'Oh Bleep' quite like someone without emotions. Isn't _that_ what drew the Krogan's attention in the first place?"

"Now this I have to hear." Ranas said quickly. "And if you _could_ do it coldly..."

"I will try." Anya said slowly, setting herself and letting her face freeze into immobility. "Ask your questions." She said in a ice warm tone.

"I know it's an act, but..." Ranas shook his head. "Don't go into holo news, Ma'am. You would steal all my viewers in a heartbeat." A corner of Anya's mouth tried to curl up but she beat it into submission. Ranas nodded and spoke evenly. "You served with Krogan. With the state of the galaxy as it is now, and the Krogan populations starting to boom again, many have been asking tough questions about whether or not they can be trusted not to start the Rebellions again. That said, what are _your_ thoughts on the Krogan, Captain Anya?"

"Krogan respect strength." Anya said in a voice of steel. "Strength of body or strength of will, it doesn't matter. It is not easy to earn a Krogan's respect, but once you do, if you don't do anything dumb, they can and will _die_ for you." She looked away for a moment. "Six of my team were Krogan. Two of them died under my command."

"When did you first meet a Krogan?" Ranas asked calmly.

"One came into the room on the Citadel we were using to interview potential recruits." Anya said slowly. "He was curious. He didn't expect much. After all, we were Alliance and were recruiting Turians and Salarians and such. His words." Anya smiled, a empty grin. "He walked up to me and demanded who was in charge. I said I was."

"Then what?" Ranas pressed. He looked Anya over and winced, she was _not_ a large woman.

"He laughed at me." Anya said with a shrug. "He asked why he should follow me. I didn't reply at first. I looked him over, then picked him up and held him upside down with my biotics. My Singularity was quite powerful." Ranas goggled at her and she continued. "I made his eyes level with mine. He was struggling to get his gun out -it's not easy when you are upside down- when I spoke. I told him I was hiring experienced soldiers to kill Reapers and had an opening. I asked him if he wanted in. He paused and then he started haggling his rates. Hanging upside down, the Krogan demanded a bunch of stuff I wasn't going to give him. So I dropped him on his head and picked him up again." Ranas stared at her and then at Crado who nodded. "He laughed heartily, said I had a quad and I could use him. I did. He was our bulwark, our tank. The rest of us did damage, he held the enemy away from us while we did."

"What was his name?" Ranas asked.

"His name was Werlock Brutiz." Anya said with a nod. "His clan was mostly dead, and he was looking for a fight. The Reapers gave him that fight and then some."

"So, Captain, what do _you_ think should be done with the Krogan?" Ranas asked. Anya looked at him and he flushed. "If they _do_ explode in population..."

"From what little I know of Urdnot Wrex and his mate, the female called Eve..." Anya said slowly. "They believe in ruling, not looting. They do not want revenge for historical slights. Many Krogan apparently share that. I spoke with a Krogan shaman once. It was... not what I expected." She said with a small frown.

"A Shaman?" Ranas asked hastily. "We don't know much of their religion."

"And you won't learn any more from me." Anya said sternly. "What was told to me, was told in confidence and I will not break it. But..." She relented after a moment. "The Krogan always sought challenges. Even in ancient times, they looked for ways to test themselves. When they embraced technology, the world they knew changed too quickly for them to adapt." She sighed. "What happened was sad, but pretty much inevitable. They found challenges in each other when the world they lived in stopped providing the challenges."

"They destroyed their world." Ranas said slowly. "They waged a nuclear war?"

"Yes." Anya said with a sigh. "They doomed themselves to a slow extinction. And then the Salarians came." She shook her head. "The ethics of uplifting the Krogan have been debated back and forth since the day it happened. But we were not there. We have the benefit of history telling us the consequences. The almost total extermination of the Rachni, the Krogan Rebellions, the genophage..." She shrugged. "I don't know what I might have done at the time. I like to think I would have found another way, but I don't know. Humans have been just as brutal and vicious with each other as the Krogan have been, if on a lesser scale."

"Many people see the Krogan as monsters." Ranas said slowly." And you have to admit, they look the part."

"To us, yes." Anya said with a nod. "To them? We are small pale, fleshy, squishy things. Kind of like garden slugs." Ranas gulped at that and she nodded. "The thing is, the genophage pretty much doomed the Krogan to an even slower extinction than their self imposed nuclear winter would have. Much of the rest of the galaxy saw them as monsters, so many of them embraced the image, took it to heart. They became the brutal, uncaring slavering killers that they were portrayed as. They had nothing else."

"But..." Ranas said sharply. "The Rebellions..."

"The Salarians miscalculated." Anya said with a trace of sadness. "With the Rachni gone, the Krogan were out of a job. They needed an enemy, a foe to test themselves against, so they went looking for one." She waved her unbroken arm in a throw away gesture. "Now... I am not condoning what happened, not at all. The Rebellions were a mistake on the part of the Krogan. Funny thing is, most Krogan I have talked to agree with that. But they suffered for their mistake. The genophage was a horrific punishment. And one they could not fight. So again, the survivors went looking for foes to test themselves. Most became wandering mercenaries, thugs for hire, only too ready to show how 'monstrous' they were."

"What is to keep them from turning on the galaxy again?" Ranas asked when Anya stopped talking. He paused as Crado made a strangled snorting noise. "Yes?" Ranas asked softly.

"We discussed that." Crado said when Anya looked at him and nodded. "Well, it started with a brawl. _Almost_ a brawl." He corrected himself.

"What happened?" Ranas asked, curious.

"We had a new Salarian tech come aboard." Anya said with a shrug. "He didn't realize we had four Krogan aboard, and started talking about how the genophage was a good thing." Ranas goggled at her and Anya shrugged again. "This was just around the time that Shepard was in talks with Urdnot Wrex and Primarch Victus. Many Salarians were...unhappy with Shepard's choices."

"Given their history..." Ranas was obviously _trying_ to be fair. "It is hard to blame them."

"Yeah." Anya agreed. "Desperate times and all that. But anyway, we had four Krogan aboard at the time. Brutiz, Gnarlz, Kolmro and Frok. Big, tough, strong and mean, the lot of them. So then this tech comes in and starts mouthing off. They did _not_ take it well." She said with a sigh. "It was heading for a lynching when I arrived. I de-escalated the situation."

"She walked in and head butted Gnarlz, the biggest and meanest of the lot." Crado said softly. Ranas stared from the Turian to the human soldier and shuddered when Anya smiled again. "Then she backhanded the tech -Norilo- to the floor. _Then_, she sat all five of them down right there and ran through the problem piece by piece like a history lesson, debating each point. No one _dared_ go for a weapon no matter how angry they were. Anya could have killed most of them with a thought. We all sat in at times during the talk they had. It was interesting. Hearing Krogan debate without weapons was...odd. Didn't have much else to do in hyper."

"You hit a Krogan on the head with your own head?" Ranas sounded as if he were about to faint. "That is _nuts_."

"I don't recommend it." Anya said dryly. "But it _did_ get their attention. We had a good talk. Frok in particular -he was the shaman- had some keen insights. The Krogan need challenges, but..." She mused. "...not necessarily _fights_. The thing is, fighting is _all_ they knew. It is _all_ they _had_ known since _before_ they nuked their world. Most of them are _sick_ of it, and they want to find a better way. They are a proud people though, with a rich history. I don't know if they can change, but _this_ I do know..." She said with a stern face. "The ones I knew, the ones who survived... will _**die**_ before they let their people repeat the same mistakes now that they have hope again. And they are not alone, many Krogan apparently feel the same way. They are angry over what happened. Who wouldn't be? But they _do_ truly want to find a better way."

"I see." Ranas said slowly. "So you think they can do it?"

"I think they have a good chance." Anya said soberly. "Urdnot Wrex is still around from what I understand. He knows what he is doing. I just wish Frok had survived. He was a good Krogan, a good talker and a good listener."

"What a happened to him?" Ranas asked quietly.

"He died saving Norilo's life." Anya said sadly. "We were running from a large Reaper force and were ambushed by another. Norilo was hit, bad. Frok picked Norilo up and carried him to the landing zone. Then he stood with us at a narrow defile, throwing every wave that the Reapers sent at us back. The shuttle came and we fell back, but a Harvester made a strafing run. Norilo was right out in the open, he was unconscious. Frok stood up, glowed with power like an engine core and knocked the thing right out of the air. Didn't kill it, but surprised the _hell_ out of it. He picked Norilo up and started for the shuttle, but a bolt from the harvester hit him. He grunted and then tossed Norilo into the shuttle. We got in, but he staggered and fell in as the shuttle took off. When we checked him, we saw his armor in back was completely gone. He was dead the moment he was hit. But he was a Krogan and he wasn't going to let the enemy win anything else. He was a good friend." Anya said with a sigh.

"And Norilo?" Ranas asked carefully.

"He was hit by a Reaper artillery strike and killed instantly two weeks later." Anya said soberly. "But until then, he and the other Krogan were on good terms. He got drunk with them once. He improved our weaponry and got us a lot of supplies that we desperately needed. And then... he was gone. So many lives." Anya said sadly. "It was needed, so we did it. But every mission, we lost someone."

"I think that is all I needed, Captain Anya." Ranas said soberly. "Uh... Do you mind?" He asked carefully.

"You want me to do it or Crado?" Anya asked with a grin. Ranas looked at her and shuddered.

"I think the Private's methods would hurt less." Ranas said after a moment. "And while I _will_ use what you told me after the official story breaks -I will give you that long-, I _do_ wish you and the private a happy and healthy life together. Not that I will _ever_ repeat that in public."

"Of course not." Anya said with a smile as Crado stepped forward. "You have your rep. I got the door." She rose and stepped to the door which hissed open under her touch.

"Right." Crado reached out for the human who jerked away from the Turian, but wasn't fast enough. Crado got a hold of the man's tunic and gripped him carefully with both hands. "And a one... And a two..."

"_Let go of me, you Myrmidion!_" Ranas shouted as Crado swung him around. Then he let out a scream as Crado did as he wished, flinging the reporter bodily from the room. "I am going to **_sue!_**" He shouted as Anya slapped the door control. Anya and Crado looked at each other for a long moment before they both burst out laughing. They paused as the com chimed.

"Ah... Captain...?" Gail's voice was hesitant. They could hear an irate male voice fading in the distance.

"Come on in, Gail." Anya said as she sat back down. Crado straightened his fatigues. "I do have one more scoop for you."

"What did he _say_?" Gail asked as she came in, her posture worried.

"He made a course joke about cross species romance." Anya said primly. "My fiancé took offense."

"Your..." Gail paused and then her face lit up. "Oh... my... god..." She smiled widely. "Okay, what did you want me for?"

"I want you to do the official story." Anya said with a smile. "His shock jock crud sells tabloids, but _serious_ people watch ANN. I want the truth told. I love Crado and he loves me. We want to make it official and public. So... Interested?"

"Try and pry me away." Gail said with a grin.


	16. Chapter 16

**An hour later**

"You want to do _what_?" Commander Mornis snapped, obviously wasn't sure he had heard correctly. Luckily, he and Anya were the only ones in his small briefing room. She had sent Crado off to get some sleep. He had protested, but not much. He had been exhausted.

"Commander,..." Anya said slowly from her seat. She was very weak still and the docs did _not_ want her moving around a lot. "We have put thought into this. We both want it, but _neither_ of us wants to mess up anything, for the Alliance OR the Hierarchy."

"Okay..." Mornis said slowly. "What are your thoughts?"

"First and foremost..." Anya said, exhaling slowly. "Crado and I are both soldiers. We both understand about following orders. We are likely to be separated in the very near future." Mornis looked at her and she flushed a little. "I know you and the Spectre know about our relationship."

"It is none of my business." Mornis said with a sigh. "As long as it does not affect the ship, or the crew, I can turn a blind eye. One would _have_ to be blind to miss seeing how you two feel about each other." He said with a strained grin.

"We have tried to be discrete." Anya said, biting her lip. "Funny, you would _think_ two sneaky people would be able to hide this."

"Love does funny things to people." Mornis said with a sigh.

"Yes, sir." Anya agreed. "The problem is this. I _don't_ know where I am going to be sent, or to do what. They are probably not going to throw me into battle again anytime soon." She fingered the cast on her arm. The docs were pleased with her progress, but it would be at least a few more days healing. Her eyes were responding to the treatment that Chakwas and Lawson had come up with and she would not need the glasses in a few days as well.

"Not until your arm has healed fully at the very least." Mornis agreed with a nod. "We are not at war now, and there is no reason to throw people into firestorms half healed." Anya nodded. "So... You want to marry Crado?"

"We are good for each other." Anya said quietly. "I can keep him out of trouble. Mostly." She said with a wince.

"I don't think _anyone_ could keep that male out of trouble all the time." Mornis said with a scowl. "He is a mess."

"Yeah. He was a mess when I first met him, and he is a mess now." Anya agreed. "But he is _my_ mess, commander. I think I can help him. I want to try." The commander sighed.

"Anya..." He said gently. "That is _not_ a good reason to marry someone."

"I know." Anya said hastily. "That is not why I want to marry him. More a side benefit if I can pull it off."

"Okay." Mornis said slowly. "Then why?"

"Because he completes me." Anya said slowly. "He is the strength I emulate. He is the rock I wish I was. He is _everything_ I wish I was. As officer or enlisted, he is a consummate soldier. Order him to do a mission, and he will. Cross his ethics and he will tell you to shove it. I..." She shook her head. "My birth family was... money." She said with a shiver. "That was all that mattered to them." Mornis nodded, but remained silent. "I wasn't that way. They tried to make me one of them, using fair means and foul, until I ran away when I turned eighteen. I found my calling in the Alliance. Serving instead of taking." Anya said softly. "I never expected to wind up in the N7 program."

"Your record says you fought off a pirate raid." Mornis said softly. "Almost singlehanded."

"Not like what Shepard did in the Skyllian Blitz." Anya said with a shudder. "But... Yeah. We didn't know the transport we were riding on was carrying that pirate leader to trial. We were catching a ride to our duty post. I was a basic adept, no advanced training whatsoever."

"You were a lieutenant." Mornis said slowly. "Just out of Officer Candidate School."

"So new I squeaked." Anya said with a nod. "Basic had been rough, but I enjoyed most of it. I enjoyed pushing myself. So many things to learn, and do. I didn't have any idea." She said in a sort of nostalgic voice. "That young girl had no clue. She thought she knew it all."

"Most of us do when we are young." Mornis said with a slightly nostalgic grin. "Basic Training burns _some_ of that out of you, but not all. Experience is the only way to learn."

"Oh yes." Anya shared the grin. Then it vanished. "Long story short, my team died, but I held them off long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

"Report says they used gas." Mornis said quietly.

"Yeah." Anya said with a snarl. "An aerosol agent. The survivors _said_ that they expected it would be fast and totally effective. It almost was. The only reason I did not get exposed was that I was running an enviro check on my armor at the time and had it sealed. Everyone else went down in seconds after the harpoon they hit the ship with administered it. Soldiers, crew, everyone. Less than ten minutes after it hit, I was the only one conscious and I was scared out of my mind. Then they boarded and started killing everyone. They didn't plan on leaving witnesses."

"Scum." Mornis said with a snarl. "But you showed them."

"I ran for the bridge and then to medical. I was trying to wake people up." Anya said with a sigh. "The ship's captain was out, so technically I was in command. I wasn't sure. They had never covered THAT in Basic. I went to medical, got the med computer to whip up an antidote. I treated the doc and got him going waking everyone else. Then I ran back to the squad bay. As I got close, I heard the shots. They were not Alliance weapons."

"How many?" Mornis asked when Anya did not speak.

"They sent a dozen pirates to take out the my platoon." Anya said sadly. "My people were helpless, unconscious. I had to choose and I did. I chose to try and save the ship." Anya said soberly. "My team died because I wasn't there to help them. But... I made my choice, to try and save the ship. I took the pirate murder team by surprise. They didn't have a chance against me."

"And then?" Mornis asked. Anya looked at him and he shrugged. "I have read the non-classified report. I studied up on you when we IDed you. But... What people read is not usually what happened. It is sanitized, made less...real. You cannot put down in words the actual events. You can't. Nothing does them justice." He said with a shrug.

"No. It doesn't. You know... I had never really gotten it." Anya said with a sigh. "I joined the Alliance to serve. To help people. Yes, I was trained to kill. But I never had in anything but simulations. It... You cannot be ready. To kill for the first time face to face."

"No." Mornis said gently. "You can't. No amount of training can possibly prepare you for the first time you take a weapon, sight in on a sentient being, pull the trigger and end a life."

"It was worse for me." Anya said sadly. "I didn't _have_ a weapon, I _was_ a weapon. I didn't have a clue before I joined the Alliance that I was a biotic. I was just...weird, you know? Basic adept training was still _way_ more than anything I had experienced before." Mornis nodded. "So my body was a weapon and the Alliance trained me to kill with it." She shook her head. "I couldn't fight them at the squad bay, too many entrances. So I fell back to a chokepoint. I surprised the team they had heading for it, I got them all with a single Singularity, slaughtered them with pistol shots and a few biotic combination blasts. They had no biotics, no heavy weapons, indeed, only most only had light armor and weapons. They expected the gas to do their job for them. I was in armor, and I was mad. There was only one passage between where they had hit and the ship's core. I held it."

"For four hours." Mornis said softly. Anya nodded. "They threw everything they had at you."

"They tried other ways, but the whole crew was awake by then. They trapped the airlocks and vents." Anya said with a sigh. "The crew were not about to just _let_ the pirates kill them. The two guards who had been guarding the pirate leader helped too. But mainly..." She smiled, her face feral. "I chose my ground and I held it. Only a couple of the pirates had heavy armor and I took them out fast when I saw them. It got...messy. When the cruiser Reykjavik responded, her marines found a _lot_ of pirate bodies piled in that corridor."

"One hundred and three total dead pirates. Their ship was almost empty." Mornis agreed. "Eighty seven bodies in that corridor. They found _five_ wounded pirates elsewhere. You were a mess." He commented softly.

"Yeah, well..." Anya shrugged. "First lesson in Basic. You don't go to war without expecting to get hurt. Pain is weakness leaving the body. Do I pass?" She asked quietly.

"You know that no marriage between you and Crado can expect children." Mornis said softly, his tone worried. "Even with advances in medical tech, our biologies are too different. Just the food differences are going to make life...interesting for you."

"We know." Anya said soberly. "We plan on adopting." She said with a smile. "Possibly both humans _and_ Turians. Lots of kids lost parents in the war and we know about teaching." She said sadly. "Never taught children, but we handled a lot of odd personalities during the war. We can handle this."

"That would be a good thing." Mornis said musing. Then he nodded. "I have no objections. As Crado's commander, I am responsible for his well being. And frankly, he has worried me. Do you think you _can_ get through to him?"

"One way or another." Anya said with a nod. "He has a hard head, but I know how to get through to him."

"Very well." Mornis said with a smile. "I will fill out the requisite forms and pass them up the chain of command. I don't think ANYONE is going to object." He turned to the terminal but paused as Anya made a questioning noise. "Yes?" He asked.

"Is that it?" Anya asked dubiously.

"Neither of you is in the other's chain of command, so no conflict of interest there. Crado has no family." Mornis said sadly. "You are estranged from yours, so no one to inform or possibly object. It is fairly straight forward. We have never had _this_ kind of marriage on a Turian navy ship before that I know of, but marriages? Those we have had." He smiled at her expression. "We have protocols for this. I will need both you and Crado. And at least three witnesses."

"I will ask around." Anya said, her tone bemused. "I don't think that will be a problem."


	17. Chapter 17

**A few minutes later**

Anya was ready for anything, or so she thought when she entered the room she knew Garrus was in. But not this. The noisy bar suddenly became hushed as she scowled and walked toward the two Turian sitting at a table in the corner. Part of the hush was curiosity. Part was likely trepidation as soon as they saw her face.

"Ah... Anya..." Crado said slowly. The drink in front of him, it looked like some kind of fruit juice, was untouched. Garrus looked wary, but amused.

"Crado. You are _off_ shift." Anya said slowly with a glower. "You are _supposed_ to be racked out. As in, in your rack. Asleep. Not carousing with officers."

"I couldn't sleep." Crado admitted sheepishly. "I came here... I guess... It's habit? I didn't order alcohol." Anya raised an eyebrow, leaned close and took a loud sniff. "I didn't!" He protested as chuckles swept the room.

"He didn't." Garrus said in the sudden silence that fell. "I was here when he got here. We have been talking. He hasn't even touched his fruit juice."

"I am halfway tempted to order up some prune juice again." Anya said with a savage smile. Crado winced and she smiled a bit more naturally. "I wouldn't do that to you unless you deserve it."

"_Prune_ juice? _Prunes_ have _juice_?" Garrus asked, incredulous. "Ah..." He shook his head. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"One of the few levo foods you Turians can handle without awful reactions. Well, awful ALLERGIC reactions. Sort of anyway. He ticked me off." Anya said with a sigh. "He got drunk on the Citadel one time and..." She stopped talking as Garrus exclaimed in wonder.

"Oh..." Garrus blinked and nodded. A slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah, I remember hearing something about that. The disturbance at Purgatory? That was _prune_ juice that you made him drink?" Crado winced harder. "That bad, huh?" Garrus asked with a smile.

"Krogan like it." Crado said with a sigh. Garrus' eyes went wide at that. "They call it a 'warrior's drink'. Because only warriors are crazy enough to drink it."

"It was good for you." Anya said with a smile. "Which is why I ordered up a batch for the ship and had Raan'ita prescribe it every time you tried to get drunk."

"You are _evil_, Anya. That first dose you poured down my throat made me vomit for three _hours_." Crado complained. Then he paused and sighed. "Although the two bottles of Thunderhawk Mead I had before might have had _something_ to do with it too..."

"Maybe." Anya said with a smile as she sat. She raised a hand and the barkeep nodded to her. "Barkeep? The Alliance cleared up my back pay. A round for everyone. One of whatever they are drinking. On me." The room erupted in a chorus of cheers at that and Anya smiled at Crado. "I am in the mood to celebrate. The commander approved it." Crado stared at her, stunned. Then he leaned over and kissed her. The room erupted again, this time in cheers and catcalls. Crado rose and pulled Anya up with him. He held her close as she smiled at him. Then she turned to Garrus, who was watching, a bemused smile on his face. "Garrus? Can I ask you to stand as a witness?"

"Try and keep me away, Anya." Garrus said with a grin. Crado nodded to the general and then shook himself. He held up a hand and the room fell silent.

"Comrades..." Crado said in the suddenly hushed bar. "We just found out we have clearance from command to proceed. I want you _all_ to meet someone. This is my fiancé, Anya." The silence that fell was deafening. Finally one Turian rose from a seat near the back. Lieutenant Krisal nodded to Crado and Anya.

"To Anya." Krisal toasted the pair. "May she be able to keep you in line." A laugh circled the room along with nods and smiles. She smiled and sat. Another Turian rose. Chief Mudok shook his head.

"Anya, Crado..." The chief said heavily. "You are both _crazy_. It was my honor to serve with you. The Turian navy salutes you both!" He saluted them and then smiled widely. "May your lives be happy and healthy." Anya smiled at the chief as he sat. Then she paused as _Garrus_ rose.

"You both always choose the hardest possible path, don't you?" The general asked, admiration in his tone. "Have either of you _ever_ tried easy?"

"Easy is boring, General." Anya said with a smirk.

"Anya..." Garrus said sternly, "No rank in the bar. You know this. And for the lapse..." He paused, thinking. "I think a forfeit is in order." He said loudly. A cheer went around the room as Anya stared at the older Turian. "Anya, its the rules." He said with a sigh that belied the smile on his face.

"You cannot be serious..." Anya said slowly. "If you think I am going to _disrobe_ here..." She snarled only to be brought up short when Garrus stared at her, seeming to be amazed.

"_That_ is what they do on human ships?" Garrus asked, shocked. '"How uncivilized." A laugh swept the room again. "No no... We are _much_ more advanced. Barkeep!" He called to the male at the bar who smiled and nodded. Something came flying through the air and Garrus caught it easily. He held out the mike to Anya.

"You have _got_ to be kidding." Anya said slowly, her face a study. "You want me to _sing_?"

"Nothing fancy." Garrus said with a nod. "But yeah. What is it Humans call it? Karaoke?"

"You have got to be kidding me." Anya said slowly, but Crado smiled at her and took the mike from Garrus and held it out to her. "I... Crado..."

"You can do it Anya." Crado said softly. "The human I am taking as a wife can do anything."

"I only know a few Turian songs." Anya said slowly. "None even close to appropriate for this I this. And my accent is...bad." She admitted.

"How about a human one?" Someone asked from the room. "We have access to some human music."

"Really?" Anya asked Garrus who nodded.

"Cross training." Garrus said with a smile. "Helps to know who you are serving with. The whole navy got the same package. I..." He sighed. "Shepard wanted the Turians and humans to know each other better."

"Garrus?" Anya said slowly. "I never asked...None of us wanted to press. And what happens in here, _stays_ in here, right?" All of the Turians nodded in silence as she looked around and then back to Garrus.

"She and I..." Garrus said in the silence that fell. "We shared something. We had a relationship, but.. it was odd. I don't know if you and Crado have the same thing. I don't know if I should hope for it or not. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't like anything I have ever had happen before or since." He looked away for a moment and then nodded to Anya. "Check your omnitool, we have a selection of human tunes."

"Right." Anya said sadly. She wouldn't press. She activated her omni-tool and started scrolling through the menus at top speed. "Can I sing in Spanish?" She asked as she looked over her display.

"Doesn't matter." Garrus said with a smile. "As long as you sing."

"Ah well..." Anya said with a snort. "You _might_ want to run, or activate any sonic dampeners you have available." Garrus looked at Crado who smiled enigmatically. "Ah, here we go..." She said with a grin. "Not in Spanish, but you all will like this...This is the 'March of Cambreath' by Heather Alexander." Crado smiled widely and Anya nodded. She hit a key and music started to play from hidden speakers. First was a drum. A drum that sounded a marching beat. It seemed to be distant and then seemed to be closing. Then the squirl of bagpipes sounded. All the Turians looked up at that. Anya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself. Crado did as well, but let her sing.

"Axes flash, broadsword swing,  
Shining armour's piercing ring  
Horses run with polished shield,  
Fight Those Bastards till They Yield  
Midnight mare and blood red roan,  
Fight to Keep this Land Your Own  
Sound the horn and call the cry,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die!"

All of the Turians were staring at her as Crado joined in on the second verse. It might not have been proper, but no one cared. Anya's voice was rough, not trained for singing and more used to calling orders over the din of battle. But that added to the tune, not distracted from it.

"Follow orders as you're told,  
Make Their Yellow Blood Run Cold  
Fight until you die or drop,  
A Force Like Ours is Hard to Stop  
Close your mind to stress and pain,  
Fight till You're No Longer Sane  
Let not one damn cur pass by,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

_All_ of the Turians in the room had risen by now and many were humming along as Anya and Crado started the third verse.

Guard your women and children well,  
Send These Bastards Back to Hell  
We'll teach them the ways of war,  
They Won't Come Here Any More  
Use your shield and use your head,  
Fight till Every One is Dead  
Raise the flag up to the sky,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

The verse ended and with it the music. Every other being in the room moved to clap, but Anya shushed them with a gesture. Then she sang another verse, alone and unaccompanied.

Dawn has broke, the time has come,  
Move Your Feet to a Marching Drum  
We'll win the war and pay the toll,  
We'll Fight as One in Heart and Soul  
Midnight mare and blood red roan,  
Fight to Keep this Land Your Own  
Sound the horn and call the cry,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

Now _every_ Turian in the room was singing with her as she started the refrain again.

Midnight mare and blood red roan,  
Fight to Keep this Land Your Own  
Sound the horn and call the cry,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

How Many of Them Can We Make Die!

Anya stood in absolute silence for a moment after she finished. Then the room erupted yet again with applause and cheers. Then she turned to Garrus with a smile.

"Does that satisfy you?" She asked with a smirk. "I see some DragonForce on here." Crado winced at that.

"No..." He begged. "Don't..."

"DragonForce?" Someone asked. Anya reached for the omni-tool, but paused as Crado laid his hand on it.

"Crado?" Anya asked archly. "What have I told you about touching my tools?"

"Any punishment you decree." Crado said quickly. "Just not 'Heart of a Dragon'... _please_..." He begged. Anya smiled evilly and he groaned. "No... Don't..."

"Now you have got me curious." Garrus said softly. "What is the problem?"

"Turians can't move that fast. It's anatomically impossible for us." Crado whimpered as Anya keyed up the music. "And we will _want_ to..." He sighed as the music started. "I tried..." He said sadly and darted for the door as Anya smirked.

"Proud and so glorious..."


	18. Chapter 18

**45 minutes later**

"How did you put 10 people in sick bay with _music_?" Spectre Williams asked incredulously as Anya entered her quarters. "I heard Crado ran out of the room, covering his ears?" She turned her monitor off as Anya stepped forward and nodded to the younger woman.

"It's not _my_ fault they can't dance to the speed of the music." Anya said with a grin, but then she sighed. "I forgot how that music affects Turians, fast and loud and rough. They _really_ enjoy it. The music gets faster and they try to keep up. They can't. No major injuries, thank god. Nothing to fall off of in there. Minor sprains and contusions. They enjoyed themselves though. The Commander was...not amused. He has banned DragonForce from the bar." She said with a sigh. "Garrus enjoyed the show but didn't participate. "

"He didn't try to dance?" Williams asked. "Good. Not that he can't but..." She shook her head. "He hasn't been the same, since Earth, since Shepard."

"They were a pair." Anya said sadly. "Like me and Crado. He lost part of himself when she died. It will take him time to find himself again, if he can. According to what Miranda and Doctor Chakwas have told me when they poke and prod, Sheperd's essence was dissolved and transmitted or something?"

"Or something." Ashley said with a shrug. "We don't know. Big green wave splashed over everything and turned us all glowy. Ten years on and we _still_ haven't figured out exactly what happened. We may never." She shook her head and sighed. "I don't _mind_, the war ended, but I _do_ miss Sheperd." She sighed again. "She made this all look so easy. Fighting is far easier than diplomacy."

"Yeah." Anya said sadly. "That she did. She was uncanny though. I swear she could look one way and hit a head shot in another."

"I never saw _that_." Ashley said with a smile. "I _did_ see her bank a couple of Mantis rounds off solid surfaces to hit bad guys hiding behind cover. The looks on their faces were priceless when they went down. And then she got that Widow of hers, and just shot _through_ the cover. Then the Geth Javelin she 'acquired' on Rannoch was _worse_. Shooting a Thanix beam from a personal class weapon just seemed...wrong..." Williams said with a shudder.

"I wondered how she managed to heft that thing when I saw it the first time." Anya said with a smile. "She wasn't much bigger than me and it weighed, what? 40 kilos?"

"About that." Williams said with a grin. "But when it makes holes in _tanks?_ Who cares?"

"True." Anya smiled and then sobered. "I... have a request actually."

"A request?" The Spectre asked carefully. "For?" She sat back in her chair and looked Anya over. She liked what she saw. The younger soldier was well on the road to recovery. Gone was the shaking, the fearful looks. Of course, Anya _had_ been blind at the time, permanently for all she knew. But now, she looked worried and embarrassed.

"You called me by my family name when we first met." Anya said quietly. "I assume you did a check, know what happened to them."

"Some." Ashley said softly. "Your immediate family wasn't on Earth when the Reapers hit. They found a deep hole to hide in, only came out after the Crucible fired. The holdings in Chile... Well..." She sighed and Anya nodded.

"Yeah, I figured they were gone. Too many people in one place for the Reapers to ignore." Anya said sadly. "I have fond memories of Santiago. But... I never fit in. I was...different. Odd."

"Because you were a biotic?" Williams asked gently, waving Anya to the only other chair in the small room. Turian ships were NOT geared with luxurious accommodations.

"I don't know." Anya admitted as she sat. "I don't _think_ so. I could always make things move with my mind. At least, for as long as I could remember. My nanny said that I couldn't tell anyone about it, or I would be burnt at the stake as a bruja..." At William's puzzled look, Anya smiled. "Bruja means 'witch' in Spanish. An evil figure in lots of Central and South American folklore. Usually likes to eat children, often alive."

"Oh." Ashley said with a grimace. "Yuck."

"Yeah." Anya said sadly. "I did some checking. None of the rest of my family had any known biotic ability. There were no eezo exposures in that area at the time, so I have _no_ idea how I managed to get this ability. Let alone be so powerful." She shrugged. "Doesn't matter much now. Have my parents tried to make contact?"

"They have tried." Williams said in a neutral voice. "They have been..." She broke off as Anya snorted.

"Annoying? Maddening? Arrogant? Obnoxious? Stupidly pigheaded?" Anya asked with a grimace. Williams nodded, her face sour and Anya sighed. "I guess I am not surprised. After all, I was only a daughter. There to further the family's monetary influence by cementing alliances by marriage with other big money families and no more. Certainly not to do something so crass as to _serve_ in a _military_." She said in a haughty tone.

"You ran away." Williams said softly. "Joined the Alliance."

"Yeah." Anya sighed. "I was young and stupid, but I wanted to do something more. Make more of myself than a trophy wife for some CEO. I wanted to help people. The military looked perfect. Of course the moment I said that, there were fireworks. I wasn't very tactful. My mother in particular said she hadn't raised any killers and wouldn't let me debase myself so. I...did not handle that well. Hey! I was eighteen." She said with a shrug as Ashley nodded. "They were going to lock me up. I heard the guards say that my food was going to be drugged." Ashley looked daggers at that, but Anya just smiled. "The problem with living in your own little world is that you miss all _kinds_ of things in the real one. I had friends on the staff." She slumped. "I bet they are dead now. They wouldn't have run. They were loyal to a fault."

"We can check." Ashley said gently. "But the odds are not good. The N7 training center in Rio took a hell of a hit. Lots of South America just stopped reporting. It has been ten years and we are _still_ trying to sift through the rubble in lots of places."

"I would appreciate it." Anya said sadly. "Nanny is likely gone by now no matter what. She was sixty five when I was eighteen, so she would have been seventy seven when the Reapers hit. About eighty eight now. She didn't move that well when I knew her."

"Name?" Ashely asked, turning back to her terminal.

"Sara Kota-Vias." Anya said slowly. "She essentially raised me. My mom and dad were never around. There was also Cook." She thought hard for a moment. "His name? Family name was... Perez...?" She asked herself. "Yeah, Perez. And his first name? Ah..." She slumped. "I don't remember if he ever told me. I called him 'Cook'. He liked that." She shook her head. "And Mika was a gardener. She was Japanese ancestry. Family name... Mitaka." She said with a sigh. "Those are the ones I remember. There were others I knew and liked but never got names for. A couple of the guards were nice, but Mother refused to keep any for very long for fear the other girls and I would get _too_ friendly with them."

"I can start a search, but..." Williams sighed. "I can't guarantee we will find anything." She started tapping holographic keys.

"I know." Anya said sadly. "Thanks. Anyway, that actually wasn't what I wanted to request."

"Oh?" Ashley asked as she finished the data search and set it off. "What then?"

"Are you available to stand as a witness for Crado and me getting married?" Anya asked quietly. Ashley's head snapped around so she was looking at Anya and the Spectre's eyes went wide at that. Anya hurried to speak. "You don't have to. I just... I don't _have_ any female relations I would trust further than I can throw a Mako." Ashley looked at her and Anya smiled. "Without the biotics." Ashley grinned at that.

"I would be honored." Williams said with a smile. "And some official Spectre recognition can't hurt, can it?"

"Honestly?" Anya said with a frown. "I never thought about that. You have been nice to me, and you didn't need to be. You have the authority to just _order_ things done to me, and you could have. No one would have said no. Heck, I likely wouldn't have disagreed. I was in _no_ position to. You didn't. You were kind. We never met, before. But I heard about you. So I make this request to Ashley Williams, not Spectre Williams, not Commander Williams, but Ashley Williams. A human woman who I happen to admire."

"Anya..." Williams looked away for a moment. "Do you have _any_ idea how few people treat me like a regular person now? Like a woman? I..." She shook her head. "It is always Spectre this, Spectre that, Council Left Hand the other..."

"We are soldiers, Ma'am." Anya said slowly. "We have been in the same mud, spilled the same blood, our own and the enemy's. We have seen hell and survived. You may outrank me by a few thousand percent now, but that doesn't change what you _are_. You are a soldier." She said earnestly. "Don't let them change you, Ma'am."

"I won't." Williams said with a smile. "And I will stand as a witness for your marriage. On one condition."

"Ma'am?" Anya asked slowly.

"In private, I am just another soldier." Williams said as she held out hand. After a moment Anya took it and they shook. "Call me Ashley."

"I can do that." Anya said with a smile. "Ashley."


	19. Chapter 19

"Miranda, you busy?" Anya asked carefully as she entered a tiny office off the main sick bay of the Wings of Xenobia.

"Not really." Miranda said with a sigh as she turned from her terminal. "Just checking up on things, following some leads." She shook her head. "Whatever my father planned for you, it wasn't marriage." She said sourly. "Take a seat." She waved at a chair nearby.

"Do I want to know?" Anya asked softly as she sat.

"Probably not. What little I have been able to find is disturbing." Miranda said with a shudder. "There was an entire project he orchestrated a few months before the reapers hit, Project Nimue, that seems to have done _nothing_ at all. I haven't been able to find a lot of information about it. Piles of money went to it and then stopped the day the Reapers invaded."

"Nimue?" Anya asked cautiously. "Where do I know that from?" She asked.

"Various folklore." Miranda said with a smile. "But mainly, the Lady of the Lake, from the myths of King Arthur."

"Oh, yeah..." Anya said slowly, thinking. "Wasn't she the one who trapped Merlin or something?"

"Trapped him, seduced him, killed him, replaced him...Take your pick." Miranda said with a sigh. "So many different versions of the King Arthur tale exist that it is virtually impossible to find any one that works with any other. We know it is folklore based on history, but..." She paused as Anya inhaled sharply.

"Yeah." Anya mused. "Arturius Castus or Castus Arturius? The Roman Centurion who didn't leave when the Romans left Britain? Who founded a kingdom of some kind? 4th century or so AD?"

"Yeah." Miranda sighed deeply. "Although there _is_ a claim that a Scottish king was the basis for the myth, one Artur. Whatever..." She sighed. "My father never did _anything_ without a long term plan. If he _did_ want you, he had a reason. One we need to figure out."

"What I don't get is why the Collectors didn't kill me." Anya sounded confused. "That was their MO."

"They did." Miranda said softly.

"_What?_" Anya snapped, her tone somewhere between angry and scared. She sat stiffly as if afraid to move.

"Anya..." Miranda's voice was very gentle now. "We brought Shepard back from worse damage than you sustained. But not by much. You were struck in the stomach and in the head by mass driver rounds with no barriers. The head wound was apparently glancing. If it hadn't been you would have been a vegetable. The abdomen..." Miranda reached out and took Anya's limp hand in hers. "The scars are clear. The round severed your lower aorta, Anya. You bled to death, probably before the shuttle escaped."

"Then..." Anya shook her head, baffled. "Am I alive?"

"Yes." Miranda gave Anya's hand a squeeze. "Someone treated your wounds. Someone with tech beyond ours. They brought you back. We don't know why, or how. But the evidence is clear. From your descriptions, it wasn't the Collectors who had you, so I have no idea who it could have been."

"Collectors did not use robots in any recorded instances." Anya thought hard. "Did they?"

"Not that we know of. I was with Shepard when she went through the Omega 4 relay. We blew up the base we found, and none of us saw any mechs or anything like what you describe. Most of their tech was organic-synthetic hybrids like Scions and Praetorians." Miranda agreed. "Anya?" She asked when Anya did not speak. "You okay?"

"No." Anya said slowly. "What am I, Miranda? Some kind of robot? A husk? Or..." Miranda shook her head, and got up, not letting go of Anya's hand.

"Anya...Come here." Miranda pulled Anya close and hugged the now shuddering woman tight. "You are alive and you are human. Every scan we have run says the same things. You remember who you are and you are in full control of yourself. You are in almost perfect health. Your arm is almost completely healed and your eyes are responding to our treatments. Anya..." Miranda shook the younger woman gently. "It's okay..."

"How can I be okay if I was dead, Miranda?" Anya demanded, not trying to extricate herself. "Dead is dead."

"Not always." Miranda replied evenly. "Remember Shepard. She was blasted, burnt and broken by the explosion that claimed the first Normandy. Her body was exposed to hard vacuum and radiation for some time. Not to mention the impact with the ice moon where the Normandy's remains wound up. We rebuilt her. Someone did the same to you. Why? We don't know."

"Could it have been Cerberus?" Anya asked softly.

"I don't _think_ so." Miranda said slowly. "I know most of their their methods. Bio-synthetic fusion is what we wound up doing with Sheperd. What was done to you, apparently healed your body using your body. You healed the damage yourself, but in a far shorter time that it should have taken. Maybe as little as a day. That tech is still well beyond our abilities."

"A _day_?" Anya asked, stunned. "And now?"

"Now, your body is acting as it should." Miranda said with a nod. "Your memory seems fine. Every scan and test we have run says you are fully human."

"But?" Anya said slowly. "If I _was_ dead..."

"Anya, I don't know." Miranda admitted as she let Anya go and sat again. Anya did as well. "If it _was_ Cerberus or my father's project that I have not been able to track..."

"Have you been able to find out if he was the man I was supposed to be sent to?" Anya asked softly. "My family would know."

"They won't talk to me." Miranda said with a snarl. "They _tried_ to get me to send a message to you for them and I...well... I wasn't polite."

"What kind of message?" Anya asked, her tone half dread, half resignation.

"Your father told me to tell you he was still waiting for you to crawl back on your hands and knees to beg forgiveness." Miranda said with a sigh. "I don't think he has a clue what he is talking about. Or to who."

"Yeah." Anya said with a sigh. "That is my father. Money and power are the _only_ things he understands. He must have been paid a pretty penny for me by your father." Anya paused, thinking. "Miranda?"

"Yes?" Miranda asked.

"In all the scans you did, did you check my genes?" Anya sounded as if she didn't really want to ask. "I am the only member of my family with biotics... And I have no idea why."

"Anya..." Miranda said gently. "Do you really want to know?" Anya just looked at her and Miranda sighed. "Yes, Anya. Your genes were manipulated. The changes are clear. In vitro work done before you were born. Biotics comes from genetics or eezo exposure and there are no signs of eezo exposure in your cells."

"I was... made...?" Anya's voice was small.

"So was I." Miranda said gently. "What was done to us is not what we _are_, Anya." She took Anya's hand again. "But it is one reason you are so powerful. Anya..." She crooned as Anya buried her face in her hands and sobs came. "Anya, it's okay..." She rose and moved to squat beside Anya's chair, holding the now sobbing woman. "It's okay."

"They made me." Anya sobbed into Miranda's shoulder. "I was just a _thing_...Another commodity!"

"Yeah." Miranda said sadly. "It was illegal before you were born and it is _still_ illegal. What they did to you broke every medical ethic in the book. Anya..." Miranda gently lifted the crying woman's chin up so she was looking Miranda in the eye. "You cannot let them get away with this or they will do it again to some other poor girl. My father did and your parents seem cut from the same cloth."

"What...?" Anya scrubbed her eyes with her sleeve and shook herself. "What can I do?"

"Litigate." Miranda said with steel in her tone. "What your parents did is _still_ illegal by Council law. That kind of blatant genetic modification is _way_ beyond the bounds of legality. My father didn't care and it seems yours didn't either."

"Sue them?" Anya asked dubiously. "But...They are rich..."

"It doesn't matter, Anya." Miranda said gently. "The Council has reason to be strict on such things. Take it to the Council. Let them handle it. Rich or no, they _can_ handle it."

"Would they put me down?" Anya asked, her tone low.

"_Anya!_" Miranda snapped. "You are _not_ an experimental animal. You are a person! A good person! Snap out of it, girl!" Miranda said with the bite of command in her voice. "Don't let them win!"

"I..." Anya shook herself and nodded. "They are no longer my family. They weren't to begin with, I guess. So... We go on?"

"I will help as I can." Miranda promised. "You have my word, Anya. We will stick it to them, hard."

"Good. I have something else to ask." Anya said with smile. "Can I ask you to witness my wedding?"

"Figured it wouldn't be long." Miranda said with a grin. "I would be honored, Anya."

"Then that is three." Anya said with a nod. "You, Garrus and Spectre Williams."

"When?" Miranda asked gently as she let Anya go and the other woman stood.

"As soon as we can." Anya said soberly. "Then you, me, Crado and the Spectre will sit down and have a _long_ talk."


	20. Chapter 20

"Captain Anya. Private Crado." Commander Mornis said quietly as the pair entered his office. "Who did you get for witnesses?"

"General Vakarian, Spectre Williams and Doctor Lawson." Anya said just as quietly. "They should be here shortly. But... before they do. I need something else from you." Crado looked confused as Anya took a step forward, placing herself a little away from him.

"What?" The Turian commander asked.

"I have evidence of large scale illegal genetic manipulation on a human. Me. I violate the Council's ban on genetic manipulation." Anya said softly. Mornis froze and then nodded slowly. Crado stared at Anya, his face ashen. "My family...made me... They... engineered me. They did in vitro modifications before I was born. The designed me to be a powerful biotic. That violates at least three and possibly five Council statutes."

"Anya..." Crado's voice was horrified. "Oh no."

"You have proof?" Mornis asked slowly. Anya nodded jerkily. "What kind?"

"The docs did a lot of tests." Anya said slowly. "They scanned my genes but couldn't figure out what they were seeing. That was the 'odd' that Doctor Chakwas spoke of when I first met her. I... I am not human..." She said with a shudder. "I don't know what I am." She said.

"Anya." Crado said soberly. "You _are_ human."

"Am I?" Anya snapped. "I _died_, Crado! I bled out on the floor of that lab on Sanctum. I was dead when you scanned me! Humans don't come back from that!"

"Captain..." Commander Mornis said sternly. "Calm down."

"Yes sir." Anya said softly. "Sorry sir." She took a deep breath.

"You _just_ found out about this?" Anya nodded and Mornis sighed. " I hadn't heard anything about this, so I assume they hadn't had time to brief me. You just had a hell of a shock, Captain." He said sadly. "Who else have you discussed this with?"

"Doctor Lawson." Anya said soberly. "No one else. I bet Obligatha heard it if it was monitoring, but we were alone in sick bay. I..." She shook her head. "I assume I will be placed in custody." Crado stiffened but relaxed when Mornis shook his head.

"No." Mornis said quietly. Anya blinked and looked at him.

"But..." She stammered.

"Captain..." Mornis said gently. "Things have changed. But even if they hadn't... _You_ did not do these things to yourself, did you? As I recall, that kind of thing has to be done before birth." He said with a shudder that Anya and Crado shared. "That makes you a _victim_, not a perpetrator, or an accessory. A tool. Not a criminal."

"I..." Anya shook herself. "I don't know, commander."

"Anya, you are stressed." Mornis said gently. "Do you trust me?" The older Turian asked.

"Yes." Anya said with hesitation. "Crado does and he is a better judge of character than I will ever be." Crado wrapped an arm around his fiancé and she leaned into his embrace.

"Then let us do what we set out to do this morning." Mornis said quietly. "Part of your stress will go away once you and Crado are wed. Other parts will appear to take it's place unfortunately." He said with a sad smile. "At least this is an active military ship and...well...Crado has no clan." Anya looked sad, but both Mornis and Crado nodded to one another. "That simplifies things _significantly_. If he had a clan and wanted to do this formally, well, you would have to meet their approval, be tested by them, have a ceremony on clan property, all kinds of hoops. Since he doesn't... Well..." Mornis sighed. "It is simpler." Anya slumped a little and Crado spoke softly.

"It's not your fault Anya." The private said gently. "My clan was small, and almost totally on the base when it was hit. I miss them, of course. But they wouldn't want me to mope any more than you do. And I think they would have liked you. What happened to them was not _your_ fault by any stretch of the imagination."

"I know." Anya said softly. "But..." Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the chime asking for entry. Crado gave her a another squeeze and stepped away.

"Enter." Mornis called and three _very_ concerned looking beings came in. Spectre Williams made a beeline towards Anya. She stopped just out of reach, her face searching Anya's.

"Anya...?" She asked, concerned. "Are you okay? Miranda just told us what she found. She said you told her to." Miranda grimaced but remained silent. Garrus just took a place at the wall, his arms folded.

"No, Ashley. I am not okay." Anya admitted. "My entire world was just turned upside down. But I am not going to lie about it. Not now, not ever. My family did this to me. They will do it to others. They have to be stopped."

"Anya..." Spectre Williams said slowly. "This is going to be a _huge_ mess. This is one thing that _all_ of the Council members agree on. Genetic manipulation on this kind of scale is _bad_."

"I know." Anya said soberly. "Miranda doubts they will have me euthanized..." Hisses of horror came from almost every throat. Miranda just looked angry. "But no matter _what_ comes, I want to face it as Anya Solinus." Crado inhaled, but did not speak. Instead, he reached out and touched her unsplinted arm gently. Ashley's glowing eyes shimmered as if she were about to cry. "Please?" She asked the commander.

"Spectre?" Commander Mornis asked formally. Williams nodded and stepped back to the wall with Miranda and Garrus. "Very well. I received word from High Command. They gave us the go ahead." He beckoned Anya and Crado forward. "Do you want Gail here?"

"Please." Anya said after a look at Crado who gave a minute nod. Mornis nodded and hit a key on his terminal. Less than a minute later, Gail Horniliy ran in, her holo camera at her shoulder.

"Am I late?" She asked, out of breath.

"No, Miss Horniliy." Commander Mornis said with a smile. "You didn't need to run, we were not going to start without you." He said in a calm tone that was somehow slightly teasing.

"It's not every day two bona fide heroes get married." Gail said with a smile. Then she paused as she saw Anya's face. "Captain Anya? Is something wrong?"

"Yes." Anya said slowly. "But for now, I can't talk about it." Gail looked to the side and nodded as Spectre Williams did. "Do you need anything?"

"No." Gail said with a smile. "My camera is self contained. I'll stand off to the side so I am out of the way." Spoectre Williams nodded to her and made space along the wall. Gail moved to the wall, checked her camera and nodded. "Ready."

Commander Mornis nodded to the reporter, then to the witnesses. Finally his eyes turned to Crado and Anya who braced to attention under his gaze. When he spoke it was slow and measured.

"Since antiquity, commanders of ships have possessed a great deal of power." Mornis said slowly. "Most of that power concerns the operation of the ship. A good commander will keep his or her crew happy, healthy and well trained. Warship or garbage scow, it made no difference in the long run. In human history, a ship's captain was the master and commander of everyone aboard, with the responsibility for everything and everyone aboard. Our own history has similar traditions. It all goes back to the earliest days of travel on planet, when ship captains might be out of contact with their high command for days, weeks, months or more." He shook his head slightly. "They were autonomous. Powerful. Most of the time, the commander is the parent figure. The disciplinarian, the person who gets called when members of the crew mess up spectacularly. The taskmaster who makes people suffer through drills endlessly to get it right the FIRST time. The hard nosed, hard headed being who sees the big picture. It is a lot of responsibility, but it is a job that needs doing. Often it is hard. But occasionally..." Now he smiled. "We do something that makes it all worth it. Anya, Crado, step forward."

The human woman and Turian commando stepped forward and braced back to attention.

"At ease, you two." Mornis said with a sigh. "You are not going to a hanging, for the Spirits sake!" Anya actually chuckled at that and both of them relaxed a little. Mornis continued. "This is one of the _few_ times when decorum is less important on a ship of the Turian navy. Discipline is needed in any military, but especially one that travels in space. There are few second chances with vacuum all around us. But..." He grinned. "We don't want either of you passing out either, so relax." Anya took a deep breath and nodded as she unbent a little. Crado just stood, still as death.

"When two beings decide they want to share their lives, it is cause for both celebration and trepidation." Mornis said with a sigh. "Marriage is not easy. When you have two people with two different views of the world, you are _going_ to have disagreements. When they are disagreements between soldiers, it can get _very_ messy. So the hierarchy, in typical Turian fashion, have created a series of tests for the prospective couple to determine their compatibility." Anya looked worried at that and Mornis smiled. "You passed, Anya. Crado..." He shrugged. "He could use some refresher courses in etiquette I think."

"I like him the way he is, Commander." Anya said slowly. "He is just serious enough, and just crazy enough to balance me. We fit." Crado looked at her and there was a wealth of information in that short glance.

"Captain Anya." Mornis said slowly. "You have asked for this. You know this being, very well. You know many of his faults, his strengths, his... lapses in judgment." Anya nodded. "I ask this formally, in the presence of witnesses. Do you wish to marry Crado Solinus?"

"I do." Anya said simply. Mornis nodded to her and turned to Crado. He sighed.

"Crado Solinus. You are... insubordinate, insufferable, pig headed and just plain nuts." Mornis said softly. "But a better soldier, I do not think I have ever met. You have lost so much, endured so much. I look at you and I see all the families that lost someone. All the hate, the fear, the rage, all contained within you. You are not safe, Crado Solinus."

"No sir." Crado said quietly. "I am not."

"And yet, you wish to marry this human woman?" Mornis inclined his head to Anya who did not move. "You both know you cannot expect children without a great deal of help from medical technology. So why?"

"I do want to marry her. Because we fit." Crado said slowly. "We keep each other sane, we keep each other safe. She is no wilting flower. She is stronger than any female I have ever met. She makes me feel...good." He shook his head. "As trite as that sounds, she does." Mornis made a humming noise for a moment as he thought about that.

"You both have known loss." Mornis said gently after a moment. "You both have known horrors that most sentients can only imagine, even soldiers such as myself. Despite everything, you found each other." He smiled. "I am not stupid enough to stand in your way. I like my health." He said as Garrus smothered a laugh in an totally unconvincing cough. He held out both his hands, one to Crado and one to Anya. They reached out. Anya with her left, Crado with his right. Mornis took the hands and held them for a moment. "Here are two who will become one." He pressed the hands, human and Turian, together.

"By my authority, granted by the Hierarchy and the Navy, watched over by the Spirits... I now pronounce you to be Anya and Crado Solinus." Mornis said with a wide smile. "May the Spirits defend anyone who gets in your way. They will need all the help they can get." Crado nodded as Anya looked poleaxed.

"That's it?" Anya asked softly, confused.

"What can I say?" Mornis said with a shrug. "No time for much pomp and circumstance on a military ship. If you want a big formal ceremony with a white dress and all like I remember reading about, I am sure you can do it again. But this _is_ legal. Everything by the book."

"Everything, sir?" Crado asked as he hugged Anya.

"Ah, yes..." Mornis said with a smile as Garrus grinned ear to ear. Crado and Anya looked at from Mornis to Garrus who nodded. "General Vakarian?"

"Yes Commander." The scarred Turian smiled at the newlyweds. "Anya, Crado... Any marriage is supposed to be a meeting of equals." Garrus said in a quiet voice. "And while the Private here _deserved_ his demotions... The Hierarchy decided he has suffered long enough as enlisted. I...umm... _may_ have had a hand in that..." He hemmed and hawed a bit. The Spectre and Miranda both rolled their eyes. "Commander?" Garrus said quietly in the silence that fell.

"Right." Mornis said with a wide grin. "_Captain_ Crado, you may kiss your wife." Crado's eyes went wide but Anya just smiled, pulled him close and kissed her new husband. "I understand the chief has put together a celebration of sorts in the mess hall." The commander said with a grin that faded. "But NO Dragonforce!" He said sternly.

"A moment..." Gail asked as Anya and Crado both sputtered a laugh. "If I could get a shot of the newlyweds?" She half asked, half begged.

"We can do better than that." Mornis said with a smile. "Soldiers! ABOUT! FACE!" He commanded. Anya and Crado both jerked to attention and spun in place, turning so they faced Gail and her camera. "At ease!" He barked. "Allow me to be the FIRST to introduce Anya and Crado Solinus. Anyone who DARES try to break these two up is in for a WORLD of hurt." He shrugged as the three witnesses laughed. He didn't. "It's the truth." He said with a grin. "What are you waiting for, Captains? An invitation? Kiss her already!" Crado sputtered a laugh and kissed Anya strongly. After a long moment, they both came up for air.

"You make a good couple." Gail said as Anya and Crado smiled at each other. "Captain Anya Solinus, Captain Crado Solinus." She reached up and shut down her camera. "This is not what I expected, but it works."

"That is Turians for you. We don't waste time." Garrus said with an odd catch to his voice. "Now, I understand there is a party of some kind laid out in the mess hall..."

"We need to talk." Anya said quietly to Lawson and Williams. "But later." They nodded as Anya led the way out of the room.


	21. Chapter 21

Anya entered the mess hall and came to a sudden stop as she saw what was there. Crado bumped into her and then froze as well. The hall was _packed_. And not just with Turians.

"To the Captains Solinus!" Chief Mudok called from the side. "Long may they be together!"

A cheer sounded from many throats as all of the assembled beings saluted. All wore distinctive red and black armor. Anya had selected those colors for the team during the war, to form esprit de corps and because the colors were distinctive. It was always easy to tell where the team was on the battlefield, especially on places like Noveria. Any armor with the proper gear could change colors at any time, for camouflage. But Reapers rarely used the visual spectrum. Armor had jammers built in of course, so colors mattered very little. Except to make people feel like part of a team, part of something greater than themselves. It had been...interesting convincing various people to use the colors, but it HAD worked. Even the Krogan had eventually taken part. Indeed, the final colors had been a Krogan idea. They liked the intimidating look.

"Chief?" Anya asked slowly. "How the hell...?" She stammered, looking at all the smiling faces around her. Humans, Batarians, Asari, Krogan, even... She paused. "Raan'ita?" She asked, incredulous. "Is that you?"

"Hello Captain." The female Quarian wearing what _looked_ like a Quarian exo suit without a face plate said with a smile. "It is good to see you." She said as she came up to where Anya and Crado stood, stunned.

"Things... have changed..." Anya said slowly as she looked the other female over. The Quarian's eyes were glowing, indeed, everyone's were. But this was the medic she had known. "Your immune system?" She asked cautiously.

"I am taking several enhancements. But I can be without the helmet for some time now. I had some help strengthening my immune system." The Quarian that Anya had known as Raan'ita vas Orenli replied. "And someone would like to talk to you." She opened her omni tool interface and a Geth's head appeared on the screen.

"Captain Anya." The Geth said in the mechanical tone that their kind used. But it was familiar. "I am pleased to see you corporeal again. While I cannot be there in person, I wanted to send my well wishes and the well wishes of the Consensus to you and Captain Crado." Anya froze.

"T-9-001?" Any asked, feeling a bit faint. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Captain." The machine intelligence said quietly. "My hardware is in storage aboard the Merciful Flight and I reside currently within Captain Raan'ita's secondary suit processor."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Anya said, holding up a hand in a 'pause' gesture. "Merciful Flight? Captain?" Raan'ita nodded, her face grave.

"The Merciful Flight is my ship." Raan'ita replied evenly. "My name is Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight now. Joruz is my XO. He wanted to come, but we had to leave SOMEONE to mind the place. We have three cases still in recovery."

"Huh?" Anya asked slowly. "A hospital ship?"

"Yes." Raan'ita said with a smile. "She was an Alliance cruiser. After the war ended, she was going to be scrapped. There was _nothing_ wrong with the ship." The youthful captain protested. She shook her head. "I asked for the ship, would have paid for it. Then T-900-1 got involved and some others, had the crazy idea for a fast response med ship. I liked it, and we ran with it. The Geth helped rebuild it into a mobile hospital and here we are."

"You didn't _like_ Geth as I recall..." Anya said slowly aware that a crowd was forming around her. "So what happened?"

"Things changed." Raan'ita said sadly. "I was in a separate fleet when the fleets sent the Crucible to Earth. The science and hospital ships were not geared to fight."

"Earth?" Anya paused and then nodded. "Someone said something about the Citadel being at Earth, but..." She shook her head. "History later." She smiled widely. "May I?" She asked, opening her arms.

"Oh Anya!" Raan'ita sobbed as she embraced the human woman. "I missed you! You made us what we became. We all owed you our lives and we failed you."

"Oh not you _too_!" Anya snapped. She sighed deeply and stepped away from Raan'ita before speaking again, this time in a louder voice. "Ok, let's have it out. Who _else_ here thinks they failed me somehow?" Every hand in the room went up and Anya sighed. "Dang it, people, I thought I taught you better than that! I lost situational awareness and I got caught and shot because I did. My fault!"

"Anya." An ageless voice sounded from nearby and Anya smiled as an Asari moved sinuously through a crowd. Lorinia, as always, drew attention to herself just by moving, but then again, she WAS poetry in motion. It was easy to forget exactly how dangerous she was. "Brutiz, Crado and T-9-001 all blamed themselves because they could not save you. The rest of us blamed ourselves because we were not there to help. You made us what we were. Many of us had given up hope and you kicked it back into us. After Thessia I wanted to DIE and you wouldn't let me. You just..." The young looking commando (she was three hundred and seven) sighed. "You just wouldn't quit pestering me to get up, to fight, to stop moping. And then, you were gone..." Anya stiffened. Was the Asari crying? Yes. Yes she was. "It is not logical, but you _cannot_ expect us _not_ to blame ourselves for what happened. _If_ we had been there..."

"You probably would have died. They were set up to catch or kill biotics. I think they were targeting me specifically, but I have NO idea why." Anya said sadly. "Brutiz?" She said to a Krogan who seemed to be trying to hide near the back. "Come here."

"Captain." The Krogan said slowly as he eased his way through a path that was made for him. He froze as Anya embraced him. "Wh-?" The Krogan stammered, taken off guard.

"Thank you." Anya said soberly. "Thank you for saving Crado. Thank you for obeying my orders." Her smile turned into a smirk. "For once." A soft laugh circled the crowd around them.

"They were not worthy opponents. Skulking and hiding and those pesky exploding human things!" Brutiz did not move, as if afraid to hurt the small form that was hugging him. "And you always said the mission came first."

"It did." Anya said, tapping him gently on the head with hers. He stared at her, dumbfounded. Anya paused and spoke softly. "Gnarlz? Kolmro?" The Krogan shook his head and she sighed. "So many lost." She said sadly. "So many sacrificed. In the end, we won, so I guess it was worth it..." She said dubiously. "But it doesn't feel worth it." She shook herself, stepped back and slapped Brutiz hard on the shoulder. "What have _you_ been up to? Causing trouble I bet." She asked in a knowing tone.

"Well..." He said slowly. "I..." He actually looked embarrassed. Anya hadn't known that Krogan could look that way.

"Do I want to know?" Anya asked slowly.

"Brutiz is a dad." Lorinia said from the side. "Twins." Anya's eyes went wide and she smiled as she hugged the seriously embarrassed Krogan again.

"I bet you make a great father." Anya said gently as she retreated to give the Krogan time to recover. "You always were a rock, a stable place in a turbulent world."

"Wasn't always." Brutiz said with a sigh. "Didn't care before you recruited me. Just a wandering killer. You made me better, made me see a better way."

"Huh? Has someone _else_ dropped you on your head recently?" Anya asked acidly. Brutiz looked pained at that and several people who knew the story laughed. Anya relented after a moment. "What are their names?"

"We...compromised." Brutiz said with a shudder that almost hid a grin. "My mate Pordla wanted to name them after Shepard and Mordin, the doctor who cured the genophage. I wanted to honor you." He said quietly. Anya groaned.

"You didn't...?" She asked, almost begging. "What a horrible thing to do to a child. Saddle a poor kid with MY name..."

"My daughters' names are Mordyna and Anya." Brutiz said softly. Anya stiffened and Brutiz smiled. It was a surprisingly tender look on the huge alien. "It is traditional, on Tuchanka, Captain." He said soberly. "When a great leader passes, we remember them in our children."

"I was _not_ a great leader, Brutiz." Anya started to say, but was cut off by a rap on the head. She spun in place only to be swept up in a hug. Lorinia held her tight.

"Begging the captain's pardon." The Asari said gently. "But you are wrong Anya. You were. You were what we needed. A bluff, no nonsense, no political BS person who could kick us in the tails and get us to do what had to be done. It was a war, Anya. There were casualties." She broke off and her face fell. Anya remembered that Lorinia's daughter had been on Thessia when the Reapers had hit.

"I am sorry." Anya asked slowly. "Did you ever find out what happened to Liselle?"

"Yeah." Lorinia said sadly. "She held the line, held her position until it was overrun. Then she detonated a series of improvised mines, took a bunch of bad guys with her. They only found traces of her DNA, nothing else but blast residue. She was bound and determined not to wind up a banshee." She shook her head. "She wouldn't want me to mope any more than _you_ did." The Asari said with a small smile.

"Well, no catfights this time." Anya said with a smirk. "Besides, you cheat."

"If you are not cheating, you are not trying hard enough." Lorinia said with a grin. "_Who_ taught us that?" She asked the room.

"_Anya!_" A loud cry came from every throat. Anya stood, flabbergasted as the crowd suddenly started to applaud.

"I..." Anya felt her eyes start to burn and suddenly she was crying. "I..." Several pairs of arms hugged her and others touched her, offering support.

"We are here for you." Raan'ita's gentle voice sounded from nearby. "As you were there for us. Any single being -no matter how powerful- is vulnerable. But a team, a group that works _with_ each other, is mighty beyond belief. _You_ taught us that. We learned. Easy, Anya..." Raan'ita crooned. "We are here for you."

"So many lost." Anya said, shaking herself. "So many missions..." Then she was shaking and couldn't stop. "So many dead and hurt..." Her breath was coming in short gasps and she couldn't see past her tears.

"Too many shocks." Raan'ita's voice seemed to come from far away. "Here, Anya. This will help..." A hiss and soothing numbness spread from her unsplinted arm, calming her body. "You are not healed yet." Disapproval sang in the medic's tone.

"Too much to do." Anya said slowly. "I..." She took a deep breath and sighed. "You are _always_ putting me back together, Raan'ita."

"Once more unto the breach, Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "_Then_ I am going to take you home and put you to bed."

"Gotta talk to people." Anya protested through the soothing numbness. "Lots to do."

"Well, as your medical practitioner..." Raan'ita said in a haughty voice. "It is _my_ opinion that you are overstressing yourself and should..."

"Stuff a sock in it, Raan'ita." Anya said after a moment. "I love you, but _geez_ you are a bossy boss. I am not _in_ your sick bay."

"Yet." Raan'ita said with a grin as she stepped back. The crowd around Anya slowly dispersed. "Chief?" She called. "We need to make this quick. She is tiring."

"Right." The voice of the chief came from nearby. "Make a hole, people" He called and a wide space appeared in front of Anya. "Anya... This is a gift from the from the N7 Ops Team Dark Storms to their commander congratulating her on her escape from oblivion." He smirked. "_And_ on newly wedded bliss."

Anya stared as he stepped aside and a large cake appeared on a table behind him. It was shaped and colored like an Alliance frigate and on the top of the sensor cluster that was at the back of it... Her eyes went wide as she saw the two figures there. The human female and Turian male were NOT standing side by side, or even clothed. Indeed, it looked like they were acting out a scene from Veaenia. She felt her face heat.

"_Chief!_" Anya snapped, shaking off the waves of lethargy that were seeping through her.

"What?" The chief asked, hurt innocence in his tone. "Don't _tell_ me you two haven't _tried_ that yet."

"I am _so_ going to _hurt_ you..." Anya said in a soft, dangerous voice.

"Wasn't _my_ idea." The chief said, backing up a hasty step. Anya looked at Lorinia who smirked but shook her head. Then Anya's eyes were pulled to the wall, where Crado stood, his face a mask. A slow wink graced one eyes and she felt her face heating. _Later..._ She told herself.

"Well..." Anya said with slightly savage grin. "Whoever it _was_ I am going to have to _explain_ some things to. Later." More than one person laughed at that. "Who does the honor?"

"Your cake, Anya." Lorinia said with a smile. "Tonight, you are the boss again. "

"Tomorrow, we may all go our separate ways." Anya said as she strode for the table, feeling rather than seeing Raan'ita pacing her. "But nothing can take our memories from us. We _are_ a family. An odd one." A snorted laugh followed her from almost every throat. That was so true. "But a family. We went through the firestorms and came out changed, but mostly intact." She paused as the chief held out something to her. A big knife. No it wasn't knife! It was a Cerberus Phantom's sword! "You and your trophies, Chief." She took it gingerly and with a smile, cut the cake.

* * *

**Just a head's up. I am moving into a new house with no internet connected, so updates will be sporadic for a while. I should have LOTS of updates when I get back though. Lots of time to write.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Later**

Anya came back to consciousness slowly. What was wrong? She felt fuzzy. She tried to move and pain lanced through her skull. She could not restrain a groan.

"Anya?" A concerned voice sounded from nearby. "Whoa, easy..." A gentle three fingered hand touched her cheek. "It's okay, Anya. You are okay."

"What?" Anya asked slowly. "What happened?" She thought back. She had been eating the cake that she had cut. Everyone had been smiling and laughing, a far cry from her memories of the team, memories of horror, blood and bone deep fear. "Raan'ita?" She asked, amazed that her voice was so weak.

"You collapsed." Raan'ita said gently. "I am glad I was there." The medic said in a sick tone. "You scared the hell out of me, us. You just... went down and..." Was Raan'ita crying? "Don't _do_ that."

"Didn't mean to." Anya said slowly. "So stressed, so many things." She sighed and paused as she tried to open her eyes and couldn't. "Raan'ita!" She sad sharply.

"I covered your eyes and taped them closed, Anya. They are still hurt." Raan'ita said in a soft tone. "You were shaking and your eyes were not closed and... Anya... I saw the scars when I tended you. What the _hell_ happened to you?" Raan'ita demanded. Anya winced. "Anya..." The Quarian asked, concerned.

"I don't know." Anya admitted. "No one does. I was a prisoner and whoever had me experimented on me." She cautiously tried to move her arms and legs and sighed in relief as they moved unhindered.

"If you do not relax, I _am_ going to strap you to the bed." Raan'ita warned. "I know you."

"Tyrant. Where am I?" Anya asked as she did as instructed, forcing her body to relax. Arguing with Raan'ita did not work. "I feel... light..."

"Your body's equilibrium is all messed up." Raan'ita said soberly. "I talked with Doctors Chakwas and Lawson, and we moved you to my ship, the Merciful Flight. We have much better gear here. The Turians did what they could, but they are not geared the way we are." Anya shivered a little and that gentle three fingered hand rubbed her unsplinted arm. "You are okay, Anya. You will be okay. You need more rest. The restorative fluids I have you on will help too. Headache?" She asked when Anya grimaced slightly.

"Minor throbbing." Anya said after a moment. "Not too bad."

"Yeah, like I should trust you not to lie to me." Raan'ita said sourly. "Hold still." A scanner whirred close and hand and Anya tried to hold as still as she could. "This should help a bit." Something hissed against her neck and the pain in her head vanished. "Not that you will TELL me if you still hurt."

"I never _lied_ to you." Anya said quietly. A scoffing noise came from nearby and Anya protested. "I didn't."

"No." Raan'ita snapped. "You just never bothered to _mention_ things. Like the time that some of that goop from a Ravager got into an open wound. Idiot woman. You are _not_ supposed to roll through toxins like that. Even Alliance supercommandos should know that acids are _not_ a good thing in the bloodstream."

"How many times must I apologize for that?" Anya asked sourly. "I _was_ a little distracted by the _other three_ of them shooting at me!"

"Excuses, excuses." Raan'ita said with a snarl. "Then there was the time you came in, complaining of a minor pain in the left leg. When I took off your calf armor, there was a _Brute spike_ stuck _through_ it! How can you _miss_ that?"

"Was busy trying not to let it squish me..." Anya said softly. "I am sorry, Raan'ita. You were so good to me, to us. And I never.. I..." She heaved, her grief coming out. She felt wetness seeping out of her eyes.

"Ah crap. Hold still." Raan'ita's voice turned gentle as the gentle fingers slowly pulled something sticky from her face. Then soft things were pulled from her eyes. Something damp and soft rubbed her eyes, cleaning the tears that were falling. "It's okay, Anya. It's okay.." The medic said with a sigh. "I had forgotten, you know." The Quarian said sadly. "I guess I had wanted to forget how often you scared me. How often you came in with parts of your body torn to pieces, your armor the only thing holding your bits together. But I put you back together. It was what I did. Then you went out and got torn up again. I wasn't a line soldier. I knew that after the first mission I went on, where Rilma died. But I couldn't just leave you all to do it alone."

"They called me the leader." Anya said after a moment. "But _you_ were our heart, Raan'ita. You kept us sane. Or ...well..." She laughed a little. "As sane as you could."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Raan'ita asked softly. "We have been asked to remain on station for a bit. Apparently several people want to talk to you."

"I am a mess, Raan'ita." Anya said with a sigh. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the _very_ least. Probably more. And then, whatever was done to me." She cracked her eyes and found Raan'ita sitting beside her bed. She was, as Raan'ita had said, in a standard hospital room. It DID look like an Alliance ship too. Not a lot in the way of amenities. The bed, a desk, a couple of chairs. She smiled at the Quarian and the medic smiled back. Then Anya frowned. "Raan'ita... I have to tell you something. Actually, I have a confession."

"You were genetically engineered before birth." Raan'ita said quietly. Anya stiffened.

"Have you talked with Doctor Lawson?" Anya asked, concerned. "I... I guess I should..." She paused as Raan'ita laid a gentle hand on her left one.

"You should rest." Raan'ita said gently. "And no, I knew after the third series of scans I did on you. You heal a bit faster than normal human. I saw enough baseline human scans working on the team members to know the difference."

"But..." Anya stammered, unsure. "You never said anything..."

"Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "You are my friend. You gave me and my husband a place when we were stuck. Our ship was gone, we had no money, and no chances to get any or get back to the Flotilla. You looked at us and saw _us_. Not the suits, not the stigmas, but _us_. Raan'ita and Joruz. We didn't know what to expect. You took us in, gave us a place, made us feel _welcome_. You made us feel needed, desired, treasured even." Raan'ita shook her head. "Did you _really_ think I was going to tattle to ANYONE about you?" She asked crossly.

"When you put it that way..." Anya said in a small voice. "I guess not." She looked at the Quarian and smiled. "Your hair looks nice." Indeed, the medic's luxurious brown hair was all the way down her back.

"Thanks." Raan'ita said with a smile. "The suit tended it of course and it grew to an absurd length in the tubes. That was what they were there for after all. I prefer the suit to tell the truth, taking care of it the way you humans do? It takes _forever_." She stopped and looked at Anya expectantly.

"But you love it." Anya smiled and then sighed. "I am trying to distract you but you are not going to let me, are you?" She asked half whimsically.

"Nope." The medic said quietly.

"Wait..." Anya said suddenly. "Crado!" She snapped, starting to rise. She froze as Raan'ita glared at her. "Raan'ita, I..."

"Don't even _think_ about getting up. He is in the next room." Raan'ita said with a smile. "I dosed his drink. He was almost hysterical." Then the medic turned stern. "You have tubes in, girl." Raan'ita indicated a series of IV lines running to Anya's unsplinted arm. "Do not even _think_ about pulling them out, or I _will_ sedate you. Clear?"

"You are _such_ a tyrant." Anya complained. "How does _anyone_ heal around you?"

"I scare them into healing." Raan'ita said with a straight face. "And if you want to get out of here as fast as possible, you _will_ listen to me."

"And talk to you." Anya said with a sigh.

"Only if you want to." Raan'ita said gently. "But before you do, someone would like to meet you." Anya looked at her friend, puzzled. Raan'ita hit a key on her omni-tool and the door nearby hissed open. Anay froze as a small form in Quarian dress came in. The youngster was about... ten... She inhaled sharply. The boy's eyes were glowing bright and he nodded to Raan'ita and Anya.

"You called, mother?" The child asked quietly. Then his eyes lit on Anya and he smiled. "Are you Anya?" He asked softly, obviously unsure. "Mom said you were sort of an aunt..."

"My name is Anya." Anya agreed. Then she turned her head to Raan'ita and asked carefully. "Aunt?"

"It's appropriate. We were sisters of a sort." Raan'ita said with a smile. "Cado, come here, greet the reason your dad and I survived the war." The boy came to the bed side and nodded to Anya gravely.

"I am Cado'Nya Vas Merciful Flight." The boy said in a somber voice.

"Do you mind if I just call you Cado?" Anya asked softly. "I am a bit fuzzy still."

"You will get better." Cado said with a nod. "Mom always makes people better." He said with the ironclad certainty of youth. "I was coming to ask about Milina, mother, do you want me to tend her?"

"If you could, Cado." Raan'ita said with a smile. "I would appreciate it. I know it is not your favorite work, but she IS your sister."

"I just wish she would grow up faster." The boy said sourly. "All she does is eat, sleep and make messes." Anya stifled a giggle at his aggrieved tone.

"Cado..." Raan'ita said, her demeanor turning stern. "She is less than a year old. It wasn't that long ago YOU were the same way."

"Nine years." The boy protested, but then smiled and nodded. "I will, mother. It is good to meet you, Miss Anya. I hope you feel better."

"I don't think I have a choice." Anya said with a smile. "Your mother is not one to trifle with."

"I know _that_." The boy said with an urchin-like grin, and quickly stepped away as Raan'ita made a playful swat at him. Then he turned serious. "Mom? Dad said he will be done shortly on the starboard junction."

"Right." Raan'ita said with a nod. "Go on, you _know_ how Milina gets when her meals are delayed." The boy dashed from the room. Anya shook her head.

"You have two?" She asked carefully.

"Three." Raan'ita said with a grin. "I had twins for my first time." Anya stared at her and Raan'ita sighed. "It was very nearly an _only_... Man they were a _lot_ of work." She said with a grin.

"Worth it?" Anya asked softly.

"Yeah." Raan'ita said with a smile. One that faded. "Do you want to talk?"

"I don't want to." Anya said sadly. "But I know I need to deal with this. I am too powerful to be going around on hair trigger. I could have killed Crado when I first woke up on the Turian ship. I wasn't...quite awake..." Raan'ita laid a gentle hand on Anya's and gave a squeeze.

"What is bothering you?" The medic asked, sitting back in her chair.

"I am scared." Anya said softly. "My family made me, made me for some nefarious purpose, and apparently at the behest of an evil man who worked for Cerberus. I have no idea..."

Anya forced herself to relax as she opened her heart to her best friend. This would be a long day, but hopefully a good one.


	23. Chapter 23

"And then Miranda here repaired my eyes." Anya finished in a quiet voice. "The rest you know." Miranda snorted from the chair she was sitting in. She and Ashley had come aboard that morning, and Raan'ita had allowed Anya out of the bed to sit at a small table. The Alliance soldier felt VERY weak still, but better. Talking with Raan'ita had helped, a lot. It always did. Raan'ita was an excellent listener. Crado sat beside Anya, his hand holding hers. She took comfort in her husband's strength. Husband. She couldn't -quite- get over the giddy feeling that swept through her when she looked at the male she loved. Not that she tried very hard. Raan'ita sat on the other side of her, watching her like a hawk.

"Ah..." Williams groaned softly as she leaned back in her chair. "This is a mess. Captain Raan'ita? Your professional opinion?"

"Captain Anya has been stressed beyond her limits by this ordeal." Raan'ita said calmly. "Her body is still in flux. She needs time to recuperate, to get used to all the changes." She nodded as Anya made a noise of disagreement. "Yes, I KNOW you SAY it is okay. I ALSO know that trying to get you to talk about yourself or your feelings when you are not fuzzy is like trying to get water from a rock. Possible, but VERY hard." The Quarian said with a grin. One that vanished as she looked at Anya. "You have been through hell, Anya. We -I- can help you, Anya. But it is your choice. After everything that was done to you, I have no RIGHT to do anything without your informed consent."

"Thank you, Raan'ita." Anya said with feeling. "But we really need to find out what happened. If my family WAS involved, they will try and get me back, or do similar horrors to another unsuspecting girl. Laws, ethics... None of those mattered to my family. Only money mattered." Hate colored her tone and then she flushed as Raan'ita looked at her. "Sorry." Anya said in a sad voice. Raan'ita sighed and reached across to pat Anya's hand.

"It's okay, Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "You scared me when we first met and you scare me now. But I am here for you. You made the team a family of sorts. So you have to put up with nosy family members butting into your affairs." She smiled at Anya's expression, but then sighed. "The readings I got from you really worry me, Anya. Doctor Lawson?" Miranda nodded to the medic. "Can you make sense of the endocrine readings?"

"No." Miranda said with a sigh. "The medical staff of the Wings of Xenobia, Doctor Chakwas and myself have all been trying to sort them out. We did some scans, but we need more." Anya looked a little green at that, but nodded solidly. Miranda shook her head and explained. "The endocrine system maintains the body's state, Anya. Yours is in flux. That is likely one reason you are so out of sorts. Your body doesn't know which way is up."

"Would you mind if we did it here?" Anya asked softly. "Nothing against the Turians, but this place is... more familiar. Less..." She sighed. "I don't know." Raan'ita gave her hand another squeeze.

"Anya." Miranda said gently. "We are here for YOU. Until and unless the Council ORDERS Spectre Williams to bring you in for questioning on what she reported, we have latitude." Ashley nodded at that. "If it makes you more comfortable to be here, on this ship, with an old friend, then I don't see the problem."

"I kinda thought you two would be butting heads." Anya said slowly. She was not expecting both Raan'ita and Miranda to laugh. "What?" She demanded.

"We have dealt with each other before." Miranda said with a wide smile. Anya's eyes went wide at that and Miranda sighed. "And YES, there was a bit of... Um..."

"Friction?" Raan'ita suggested with a smile. "I wasn't ABOUT to trust a former Cerberus person." She sighed sadly. "That changed."

"What happened?" Anya asked softly.

"There was a mutation of a plague virus on Mindoir." Miranda said with a shudder. "A NASTY one. 90% mortality and it mainly targeted the elderly and children." Anya looked VERY green at that. "I was close, but had few resources. She showed up a day after me and we...well..." Miranda looked embarrassed.

"Butted heads." Raan'ita said with matching embarrassment. "It took my SON coming in and asking me to stop disturbing the patients before we cooled off. I managed to look beyond our history. And I do consider her a colleague, if an arrogant one."

"Well, I consider you a colleague too." Miranda retorted evenly. "If a naive and foolish one." Anya had to laugh at the tone of voice. She was using the same tone Raan'ita had! "We stopped that plague and have been in touch ever since." Now Miranda's face softened. "She delivered Eran." Anya stared at Miranda and then at Raan'ita who nodded.

"That WAS foolish of you, Miranda and you know it." Raan'ita said soberly. "You KNEW you were close to your time. You had no BUSINESS travelling at that time. Certainly without a doctor."

"I know." MIranda said sadly. "But I had a line on that Cerberus remnant and I had to make sure we got them."

"Miranda." The Quarian said quietly. "If you had been ANY slower getting to me..."

"I know." Miranda said softly. "But you saved the day." Anya had to smile at the other human female's tender smile.

"So..." Anya said slowly. "Cerberus is still around?" She asked.

"Yeah." Miranda said with a scowl. "That is why they called ME when you showed up. I head a team with Council support tasked with tracking and eliminating their cells and support networks. I think they should have been called 'Hydra' through..." She said with a sigh. "Every time we lop off a head, another pops up. And their methods..." She sighed deeply. "I thought they were bad during the war, but now they REALLY have gone off the deep end. Abducting civilians, brainwashing them into killing machines and turning them loose to wreak havoc." She shuddered and Anya shared it.

"And you thought they had done the same to me." Anya said. It wasn't a question.

"We didn't know." Miranda said with a shrug. "Better safe than sorry. I didn't..." She started to apologize only to pause as Anya waved it away.

"I understand." Anya nodded. "I saw what they did during the war and read a bunch of reports. So they didn't do this to me?"

"None of the methods that they are commonly using have shown up." Miranda said. "We checked for those first."

"So something uncommon." Anya said, then shivered.

"Anya?" Crado spoke for the first time. "You okay?" He asked, concerned.

"No." Anya said slowly. "I feel..." She shook her head. "The oatmeal that Raan'ita got me for breakfast didn't taste bad going down, but now...My stomach..." She shook her head, grimacing. Then she paled. "Raan'ita! I think I am going to barf!" The two medics in the room swung into action. Miranda running for a nearby locker while Raan'ita stood and moved to Anya's side. Then Miranda was there as well. Just in time.

"Crado." Raan'ita said softly as Anya convulsed. "Hold her gently. She can't control this. Humans have no control over gag reflexes." Crado nodded and held Anya as her body reacted.

"Most humans." Miranda corrected quietly as she held a bag to Anya's mouth, catching the nastiness that came. "Some I have met can, but not always."

"Never..." Anya gasped as she sagged in Crado's arms. Then she expelled more and croaked a bit. "Never had this happen. Not even during the war. Not even the nastiness we waded through..." She started to cry as her body betrayed her again. "No..." She said as she recovered.

"Anya..." Raan'ita's voice was gentle as she stroked the shuddering human female's hair. "Shh... Easy. I know it's embarrassing. But it's okay. Don't fight it, just let it happen. We will find out what is causing this and fix it, okay?" She paused as Miranda hissed. The woman had been holding the bag with one hand and scanning Anya with the omni-tool in her other.

"Miranda?" The Quarian asked.

"You two had intercourse the night before your wedding." Miranda said softly to Crado. He looked confused, but nodded. "Then I know what is causing this. It's not abnormal actually."

"What?" Anya gasped. Then she stiffened. "No... I... It can't be..."

"You are right, Anya. It can't be." Miranda said with a look of confusion. She showed the display to Raan'ita who stiffened in shock as well. "But it is. You are pregnant."

"Oh... crap..." Anya said as her stomach rebelled again. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a VERY long day...?" She asked no one in particular before burying her face in the bag again.


	24. Chapter 24

"Anya? How you doing?" Raan'ita's concerned voice came over the speaker. Anya tried to shrug but the form fitting enclosure she was in wouldn't let her move even that much.

"Peachy." Anya replied sourly. She opened her eyes, but of course didn't see anything but the white cylinder enclosing her head. She shut them again. "I knew this was going to be unpleasant, but... Is this some kind of revenge?"

She asked. It was actually comfortable. She had to give Raan'ita that. She was warm, dry and clean. She was covered by a more than regulation size hospital gown. One that was much thicker than a normal one, and warm. But not being able to move for long periods of time had ALWAYS freaked her out. The huge list of scans that Miranda and Raan'ita had shown Anya that they would be performing had necessitated the full body enclosure though. At least the medication they had come up with had soothed her stomach. The tubes and wires didn't bother her. Much.

"Revenge?" Raan'ita asked in a too innocent tone. "Now WHY would I do that?"

"I dunno." Anya said with a snap. "Because you are EVIL?" She asked with a smile. "Because you always LOVED it when I was in your power? Because you LIKE having me tied up..." She couldn't help it, she smiled as she thought of Crado's jokes about bondage and her face heated little.

"Stop right there, Anya." Raan'ita cautioned. "Your heart rate just spiked. Calm, Anya. Calm..." Her voice was gentle soothing. "Easy, girl... Easy...Shhh..." She crooned gently. "We are almost done with this set. Then you get a break."

"You are a such a wet blanket, Raan'ita." Anya complained whimsically as she focused her mind and calmed her body. "But okay. How much longer in this THING?" She asked sourly.

"Not much." Raan'ita said gently. "Almost done. With this series anyway."

"GAH!" Anya groaned. "Don't remind me. Three days worth of scans. Three days encased in this thing."

"We give you breaks, Anya." Raan'ita said in a chiding tone. "And you will be sleeping in a real bed. But until we know HOW it happened and WHY..." She trailed off and Anya sighed before responding.

"I know." Anya said softly. "We don't know if I CAN bear the child without harm to it or me." She slumped in the cocoon. "I just... This feels odd, Raan'ita." Anya said slowly.

"I know it's hard being out of control, Anya." The Quarian doc started and then paused when Anya made a noise of disagreement. "Anya?" She queried.

"I don't LIKE being out of control..." Anya said in a musing tone. "But this feels...familiar..." She said slowly. "All of this..." She said in a curious tone. "This type of scan isn't standard, is it?"

"No." Raan'ita admitted. "This is a new technique, developed since the end of the war. With the aid of... um..." She broke off, seemingly embarrassed.

"You CAN say 'The Reapers'..." Anya said, her tone resigned. "I am not COMFORTABLE with that, mind you, but I can accept it. Especially since you and Crado accept it."

"We learned a lot." Miranda's voice was calm and cool. "There was -is- a lot of information stored in the Reaper shells. They remember what happened, and want to help."

"Obligatha was kind." Anya said softly. "Not at ALL what I expected from a Reaper."

"Obligatha is different." Miranda agreed. "But all of them, with the exception of Harbinger which seems to just shut down completely -and GOOD RIDDANCE-" She snarled. "...they all seem to want to help. To assist us. Even IF their assistance is VERY uncomfortable at times. Having Husks doing EVA repairs is just...wrong..."

"Better than Banshees moving piles of rubble." Raan'ita said sourly. "Or Brutes working as bulldozers. Cannibals and Marauders are at least a LITTLE easier to stomach. "

"What do the Ravagers do?" Anya asked, curious despite herself.

"Demolition." Miranda said with a sigh. "There is a lot of heavy scrap that needs to be demolished to make way for new construction and they do it well. The Rachni queen is NOT happy about her lost children, but..." She sighed sadly. "Once they were taken from her, they could not be saved."

"Like the mad drones that Shepard encountered on Noveria when she was hunting Saren?" Anya asked softly. A silence ensued and she sighed. "Yes, I had access to those reports. ESPECIALLY when the Rachni appeared and started working on the Crucible."

"Yes." Miranda said sadly. "Just like that. With the eggs taken from the queen and modified before they could be taught, they were insane. The only thing controlling them was the Reapers. So now, the Reapers want to help rebuild, so their slaves help too."

"No coming back?" Anya asked softly.

"No." Miranda said heavily. "We have tried a number of things over the years. But once the transformations were done, nothing can undo them. And unfortunately, the trauma of the change either destroyed or damaged the memories of the beings being changed, so we cannot help them." Anya cursed softly in Spanish and Miranda sighed. "Yeah, well, there IS one bit of good news."

"Oh?" Anya asked as she tried not to squirm.

"With the Reaper's help, we have managed to isolate the roots of Indoctrination." Miranda replied easily. "We can undo it."

"That is a good thing." Anya said soberly. "But FINDING Indoctrinated people..." She paused. "Wait, the Reapers would be able to do that, right?"

"They can and they have." Raan'ita said, a smile in her voice. But then it faded. "Anya?"

"Yes, Raan'ita?" Anya asked slowly.

"I need you to do something for me." Raan'ita said slowly. "It will probably hurt." Anya tensed but then relaxed. Raan'ita wouldn't ask unless it was important.

"What?" Anya asked slowly, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"You have no amp connected, but your implant is still intact." Raan'ita said slowly. "I...think... Miranda?" She asked. "Is that...?"

"What?" Anya asked, a little worried.

"Your L5X3 implant..." Miranda said slowly. "It's...different from what is on file."

"DIFFERENT?" Anya snapped. "What do you mean?" She opened her eyes and then closed them.

"Anya, be calm." Raan'ita said gently. "It's okay. Your implant seems undamaged, but... Miranda? What IS that?" She asked, concerned.

"Miranda?"" Anya called. "Raan'ita?" She asked, her tone turning worried. "What is going on?"

"There is something attached to your implant, Anya." Miranda said gently. "It doesn't show up on any scans except the most refined one. Obviously you can use your powers."

"I haven't tried." Anya admitted. "Not since I woke up blind and nearly fried Crado. I was too scared to." She confessed.

"Understandable." The Quarian medic soothed. "Can you access the implant diagnostics?" Raan'ita asked.

"I think so." Anya said, confused. She did and made a sour noise as her brain interpreted the results. "According to the diagnostics, everything is working as intended. What do you see?"

"There is a small silver sphere attached to the implant, Anya." Miranda said slowly, her tone cautious. "If I didn't know better... No... It couldn't be..."

"Couldn't be WHAT?" Anya asked, her tone somewhere between irritation and fear.

"I saw something once that looked similar, Anya." Miranda said calmly. "But it was MUCH larger. It was the size of a tank, at first anyway. Then it shrank to the size of a basketball."

"SHRANK?" Anya demanded. She took a moment to calm herself. "What was it?" She asked when she could speak calmly again.

"A Prothean artifact Shepard and I found on Kopis." Miranda said slowly. "A sphere. A perfectly round, perfectly smooth sphere. Just like this. Much larger, but..."

"What would I be doing with a Prothean artifact inside my skull?" Anya asked, her tone turning fearful. "And is it going to expand?"

"I don't know." Miranda admitted. "And there is really only one way to find out. Anya, can you access your implant?"

"The diagnostics worked." Anya said slowly. "So probably. What do you want me to do?"

"Can you generate a barrier field around PART of your body?" Miranda asked. Anya made a sour noise and Miranda laughed. "Sorry, silly question. I want to you generate a barrier around your feet. When you use your implant, I will try and access the artifact."

"Is it likely to pulse or grow or something?" Anya asked slowly. "If anything DOES happen to me, take care of Crado, please?" He had been so worn out by the revelations of the day that she had sent him to bed when she had climbed into the scanning machine. He had argued, but in the end, he had acquiesced. "Better yet..." She said with a sigh. "Crado, don't blame them." A gasp from outside confirmed her suspicions.

"I won't." Crado asked, uncomfortable. "How did you know I was here?"

"Because you RARELY obey orders." Anya said with a sigh. "Even when they make sense. Miranda... I am ready." She opened her mind as she had been trained, letting power flow to coat her feet with energy. "Barrier is up."

"Ok." Miranda's voice was gentle. "Probing now."

A sudden stab of pain erupted in Anya's skull. The last thing she heard before passing out was a scream of agony. It sounded like her voice, but... not...


	25. Chapter 25

"ANYA!" Crado snapped as his wife screamed in pain. He jerked from his chair but froze as both medical professionals moved almost as one. The scanner table that Anya was enclosed in swept out of the device as Raan'ita hit an emergency override. Before the lid of the enclosure was up, Miranda was there, a scanner in hand. Crado stayed where he was, despite every instinct demanding he run to his wife's side, he knew he would just be in the way. It rankled, but he knew it was true. He was a Turian, bred for service, trained to be part of a whole. He was not a good Turian, but he WAS a Turian. He waited while the docs worked, trying to strangle his impatience. Finally, he could take it no more. "Doc?" He asked softly.

"She is alive, Crado..." Raan'ita said, distracted. "But this is...Miranda?" The other doc shook her head, focusing on her readouts. Crado shook himself. He had to know.

"Crado." Another voice spoke from nearby as Crado took an involuntary step towards where the docs were working. "Step back." Garrus' soft words were a command. Crado turned to look at Garrus who sat against the wall where Crado had been sitting a moment before. The other Turian shook his head. "The ONLY reason I let you in here as you said you wouldn't crowd the docs. So don't." Crado stiffened, but then nodded and moved back to the short bench he had been sitting on. Sitting down and remaining quiet was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

There was not a lot of space in the room. Besides the two chairs at the sensor console, the room was normally bare. There simply wasn't SPACE for the enclosure to extend into the room and any other furniture. The actual scanner took up the entirety of the next room, the only access to it from this room the slot for the patient enclosure. The lid of the enclosure rested against one wall as the docs worked. Anya had taken one look at the device and nearly freaked. She had said it look like a coffin. It had taken both Raan'ita and Miranda the better part of thirty minutes to calm Anya down enough to get her in. But then she had relaxed a bit. Crado and Garrus had come in during the third set of scans. The docs had both glared at him, but he had sat quietly so they had ignored him, focusing on Anya. Garrus had remained by his side. Crado looked helplessly at the docs working and then at Garrus who sighed and nodded.

"Doc?" Garrus asked quietly.

"There was a pulse of energy from the artifact." Miranda said, her tone distracted as she worked on Anya's still form. "When I probed it, it responded. The feedback from the pulse hurt Anya. I am not sure how bad yet." Crado stiffened, but then slumped in place. Garrus laid a gentle hand on Crado's shoulder, a comrade's sympathy. "She is alive, Crado." Miranda reassured him. "We will NOT let her die."

"Should I leave?" Crado asked, manifestly against his will.

"No." Raan'ita reassured him as she rocked back on her heels. "She will need support when she wakes. We better get her to a regular bed. This thing scared her enough when she was coherent. I will call for a gurney."

"Do you need to?" Crado asked. Both docs paused and looked at him. "I can carry her IF she isn't hurt too badly." Raan'ita and Miranda shared a glance. "But ONLY if it won't hurt her."

"It shouldn't." Raan'ita said slowly and Miranda nodded. "There seem to be no physical injuries."

"It will probably help." Miranda said with a frown. "Even unconscious, she can feel you, know you. I never expected THIS to happen, or I wouldn't have done it." Crado rose slowly and move to stand by the enclosure, his face falling as he saw Anya's pale face within. His wife looked so lost and alone.

"Not your fault, doc." Crado said quietly. "She knew the risks or she wouldn't have asked you to take care of ME. Any connections?" Miranda nodded and disconnected various tubes and wires before stepping back and nodding again. "Oh Anya..." Crado said sadly as he scooped her up gently. She didn't react as he cradled her to his chest.

"Come on..." Raan'ita said quietly. "Let's get her to a bed. You need more sleep too." She led the way to the door and palmed it open. Miranda and Garrus moved to follow as Crado stepped towards the door, careufl with his burden.

"I haven't been able to sleep for longer than thirty minutes since the war, doc." Crado said with a sigh. "My body seems to have adapted to that."

"That is NOT normal, Crado." Raan'ita said sourly. "You want something to help you sleep?" Crado didn't answer and Raan'ita sighed. "And here I thought you knew better than to ARGUE with ME."

"I..." Crado slumped a little as he walked, conscious of Anya's legs hanging loose, careful not to bump her into anything. "I don't want to argue, but the drugs make me dream." He admitted softly. "I don't like my dreams."

"Oh Crado." Raan'ita said sadly. "Let's get her to a bed and I will see what I can do. I CAN make your sleep dreamless and you need it." She laid a hand on his shoulder as they walked. "I love you as much as I love her. Don't you DARE hurt yourself. She would flay me with her mind."

"Yeah." Crado said with a smile. "She would." He paused as Anya murmured in her sleep. "Anya?" He asked gently. Raan'ita moved to a door and opened it. Inside was a standard hospital room. A bed, two chairs and a host of medical gear were the only furniture.

"She is still asleep. Get her on the bed." Raan'ita ordered. "I will connect the tubes and monitors. Then you and I will have a talk."

"Thanks, doc." Crado said as he eased his burden down onto the bed. He stepped back as Raan'ita connected tubes and wires with the ease of long practice. Then he motioned towards a folded blanket that lay on one chair. Raan'ita smiled and nodded, moving the pillow that sat on the bed under the sleeping human's head. Then he bent down and kissed Anya's cheek. Then he paused. "What the-...?" He asked nobody, stunned.

"Crado?" Raan'ita asked.

"She is talking in her sleep." Crado said slowly. "She never did that before that I know of. And in Spanish...?" He shook his head, perplexed.

"What is she saying?" Raan'ita asked slowly, her omni-tool up and scanning Anya again.

"I studied up on Spanish, but I am no translator." Crado said softly. "Something about a 'Scholar' and 'children', and..." He froze as Anya's eyes shot open, but the gaze that focused on his was not loving. There was no recognition in it. It was terrified.

"NO!" Anya screamed, her voice odd. "Monstruos! No me hagas daño! NO!" She screamed again, her voice childlike. She curled up, trying to recoil away from Crado who stared at her, shocked. (Translation: NO! Monsters! Don't hurt me! NO!)

"Anya mi amor..." Crado said gently. "Está bein. No estás in pelegro. Tranquilo. Estás seguro." Raan'ita stared at him, confused. "¿Que es la problema, Anya?" ((Translation: Anya my love. It's okay. You are in no danger. Easy. You are safe. What is the problem, Anya?))

"Amor?" Anya asked, obviously confused. "No te conozco." Crado recoiled as if slapped and Anya cringed. "¿Quién es usted? ¿Donde está?" She asked. ((Love? I don't know you. Who are you? Where am I?))

"What is she saying, Crado?" Raan'ita asked quietly. "She is talking too fast. My translator is having fits with that." She hushed when Crado made a sharp gesture.

"¿Quién es usted?" Anya snapped. "¿Donde **está?**" She screamed. She froze as Crado made a 'calm down' gesture at her. When he spoke it was slow but clear.

"Anya, está in un hospital. Fue herido. Mi nombre es Crado. Mantenga la calma." Crado said gently. "Esta bein. Tranquilo." He made a shhing noise and patted her hand gently. Anya slowly relaxed. "Anya..." His eyes watered as she stared at him. "Oh Anya..." ((Translation: Anya, you are in a hospital. You were hurt. My name is Crado. Be calm. It's okay. Easy. Anya... Oh Anya..."

"¿Te conozco?" Anya asked, confused. "No te acuerdas." ((Do I know you? I don't remember you.))

"Sí. Me conozco." Crado said gently as he rubbed her hand. He waved his free hand at the Quarian who stood stock still nearby. "Ella es médico. Ella te ayudará." ((Yes. You know me. She is a doctor. She can help you.))

"¿Dónde está mi familia?" Anya asked after a moment. "Mi madre, mi padre? Mis hermanas?" ((Translation: Where is my family? My mother? My father? My sisters?))

"Ask her how old she is." Raan'ita asked, her face tight. Crado stared at her but then nodded.

"Anya." Crado said softly. "¿Cuántos años tienes?" The woman in the bed stared at him and then sighed.

"Tengo doce." Anya said, mystified. Both Crado and Raan'ita stared at each other. "¿Por qué?" She asked. ((Translation: I am twelve. Why?))

"That translated." Crado said softly. Raan'ita nodded, her face ashen. "Oh Anya."

"¿Que es la problema?" Anya asked softly. "¿Qué es eso?" She demanded sharply. Crado took a deep breath before speaking. ((Translation: What is the problem? What is it?))

"Anya." He said quietly, rubbing her hand gently. "Tienes treinta seis años." Anya stared at him and shook her head slowly. ((Translation: Anya, you are thirty six years old.))

"No..." She breathed, horrified. "Es imposible! TENGO DOCE!" She screamed. Crado sat on the bed and held out his hands to her. She stared at him. ((No! That is impossible! I am TWELVE!))

"Está bien, Anya." Crado said softly. "Estoy aquí y voy a dejar que nada te duele." ((Translation: It is okay, Anya. I am here and I will not let anything hurt you.))

"¿Quién es usted?" Anya asked, her tone calming. "Usted es agradable." She said as he held out his arms and she swarmed into them and snuggled close. ((Who are you? You are nice.))

"Soy tu marido." Crado said softly. Anya stiffened in shock, but then relaxed as he hugged her. "Va a estar bien. Lo haremos bien." ((Translation: I am your husband. It will be okay. We will make it okay.))

"Tengo miedo." Anya said softly. ((Translation: I am scared.))

"Sé que, Anya." Crado said, holding her. ((Translation: I know, Anya.)) "Do you understand me when I speak English?" She looked at him and he smiled at her. "You told me you studied English at an early age."

"Yes." Anya said slowly and carefully. "Me feels... No..." She paused and then spoke with more conviction. "-I- feel strange."

"You were hurt." Raan'ita said gently from her spot. "You do not remember me then, either, Anya?" Sadness colored her tone.

"No." Anya's voice was small. "What happens? No..." She snarled at herself. "What happened?"

"We don't know, Anya." Raan'ita stepped close to the bed and laid a hand on Anya's splinted arm. She smiled and Anya stared at her before smiling hesitantly back. "We WILL find out."

"Anya." Crado said, hugging her again. "It's okay. We will make it okay."

"Please?" Anya begged as she hugged Crado tight.


	26. Chapter 26

"She is WHAT?" Garrus' voice was a bit on the sharp side. But no one blamed him. The briefing room was not small, but it seemed full with Lawson, Raan'ita, Vega, Williams and Garrus in it. None were sitting despite the chairs laid out.

"The pulse that occurred when I attempted to access the device attached to her implant seems to have regressed her to childhood." Miranda said heavily. "I accept full-" She broke off as Raan'ita snapped at her.

"Oh hush, Miranda. NONE of us had a clue what that thing was or what it could do." The Quarian medic said with a snarl. "Anya KNEW the risks. None of us expected this, but she wouldn't blame you. So don't blame yourself." She paused, then grimaced, looking around the room at the faces that were goggling at her. "Sorry..." She said, slumping a little.

"Oh, don't be sorry." Garrus said with a smile. "I have wanted to see Mrs Lawson here rendered speechless since the day I met her." Miranda made a rude gesture in his direction and Garrus smiled wider. Both Spectre Williams and Lieutenant Commander Vega seemed to be fighting smiles as well.

"Jokes aside." Miranda said quietly. "We hurt her. We have NO idea why it happened or how. We need more information and since it seems to be a Prothean device. We need an expert in Prothean..." She broke off as Garrus snarled.

"No." The Turian general snapped.

"Garrus." Ashley said slowly. "If she _can_ help..."

"_No_." Garrus said with flat finality.

"Garrus." The Spectre said softly. "I _know_ your feelings. I know _why_ you feel the way you do..."

"Do you?" Garrus asked coldly. "Do you indeed?" Ashley sighed and looked helplessly at the others. Miranda finally shook herself and spoke.

"Garrus, please..." Miranda said heavily. "I don't like it either. I said it at the time, and I say it now. What she did was _wrong_. The _way_ she did it was worse. To just _do_ it like that, without explaining, without offering Shepard the right to _choose_... Even the Asari were and are mad at her."

"It's not the same." Garrus said slowly, turning away from the group to stare at the wall. "_Neither_ of us would have minded, _if_ she had just _asked_." He shook his head. "She didn't. She couldn't be _bothered_ to. To give Shepard the _choice_. That is what rankles the most. Shepard fought for all of us to have a choice! That blasted Asari took that choice from Shepard and just... just..." He snarled and spoke quickly. "Part of me wishes Grunt or Wrex had been there when we found out. They would have killed her. Not let themselves be disarmed before they could more than wound."

"Scars..." Vega said softly. "We were all mad at her. We _are_ all mad at her. You are right." The N7 said with a sigh. "What she did was unforgivable. None of us are going to forgive it. None of us are going to forget it. But that is immaterial." Garrus stiffened as Vega snarled slightly. "What would _Shepard_ do in this case, dude? Think." Garrus shook his head. "Come on, Scars. You _know_ what the Commander would have done."

"Yeah." Garrus said softly. "I do." Pain sounded through his voice now. "I just..." He shook his head savagely. "She would do whatever the hell it took to help Anya. No matter the cost to her." The others nodded soberly. "It was always about _others_ with her. Helping _others_, never a thought about herself. When I heard what that blasted AI told her in the recording, the choices it gave her on the Citadel to fire the Crucible, I knew what she was going to choose before she started moving. She couldn't let EDI and the Geth be destroyed. And she couldn't trust _herself_ to control such power without being corrupted by it. That left her with only one choice." He shook his head and tears were falling. "Always helping others..."

"Garrus." Ashley stepped to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away from her and walked to the wall where he turned and glared at all of them. "Garrus..." She said in warning.

"You are going to do it no matter what I say. So..." Garrus snapped. "Keep her away from me. I see her and I am going to shoot her again, and _this_ time I will aim for the head." With that, he stalked out of the room. The others looked at each other and then Miranda sighed deeply.

"That went...about as well as I expected." The others nodded to her sad words. Raan'ita nodded to her and Miranda shook her head. "I don't think we should do any more scans until we can figure out _what_ happened to Anya. The enclosure freaked her out."

"We got a lot of information. Your Prothean specialist can...Um..." Raan'ita said slowly. "Um... Do I want to know _why_ General Vakarian reacted like that?"

"No, but you need to." Williams said with a sigh. "It is _going_ to come up. Right before the final battle on Earth kicked off, the attack on London and the diversions, Shepard talked to Doctor Liara T'soni. According to the few witnesses who survived, T'soni said she had a 'gift' for Shepard. After the battle ended, after the Normandy was found..." The female human took a deep breath and spoke carefully. "Doctor T'soni told us that she had...taken some of Shepard's DNA to make a child. Without Shepard's knowledge."

"_She what?_" Raan'ita snapped, aghast. "_Nonconsensual?_"

"Yeah." Vega said softly. "That was our reaction, minus the cursing. Garrus was...irate."

"Garrus shot the doc. Three rounds from his Vindicator, center mass. If she hadn't been armored, it would have killed her. She didn't have barriers up, she never expected him to shoot her. None of us expected him to react so strongly. We grabbed him, I mean... Gunplay aboard ship is bad." Williams said with a sigh. "He nearly killed her. The doc healed her up and then we threw her off the ship. None of those of us who were there have talked to her since that I know of. Miranda?"

"I... have..." Miranda said slowly. "Hunting Cerberus, I needed the her contacts, her assets. I saw her...kid and yeah... I knew the moment I saw the little one." Miranda shook her head. "You bring her anywhere _near_ the Normandy and there will be fireworks. If she runs into Garrus, there _will_ be bullets and biotic effects flying."

"Keala..." Raan'ita said in a tone of total consternation. "I have other critical patients aboard. I _can not_ have a firefight break out on this ship."

"We will make sure that doesn't happen." Williams said with a sigh. "James?" She asked and he nodded, his face remote. "I hate to ask it of you, but can you?"

"We never get easy jobs. Probably wouldn't know what to do with them if we did. " James replied with a snort. "I can do it. I can keep them apart." The huge Alliance Marine continued with a matching sigh. "I respect him and he respects me. I will stay with him, keep him away from wherever the witch is."

"If they _do_ encounter each other..." Miranda started softly then paused as Williams grimaced.

"We knock them both the hell out, separate them, and go on from there." The Spectre clarified. "This is a hospital ship. I will _not_ see it turned into a war zone. Miranda?" The other human woman nodded to the Spectre and Williams continued. "Give her a call. If she just has information, all well and good. IF not? Get her here as soon as you can. The last transmission I got from the Council said they were debating the merits of sending a team of their own." Raan'ita stiffened and Ashley spoke quickly. "Nothing against you, doc. They are planning to send investigators, but they _all_ want to see Anya healed first. They are going to flip when they hear about this. They _may_ want to take her back to the Citadel." Miranda nodded and left the room.

"More infrastructure there." Raan'ita agreed. "I want Anya given the best care available. I have the best care _here_, but _they_ have better. More of everything. One thing... Might there be any _other_ Prothean experts around?" Raan'ita said after a moment. "I don't know if I want that being around my kids."

"None with her expertise or resources." Williams said with a groan. "I will be her shadow. I won't let her out of my sight."

"Why do I get the feeling we are going to regret this?" Raan'ita asked sourly as they all moved to leave. "Anya said that she wants to get better and will cooperate in any way before she fell asleep. She has essentially demanded to have the next series of scans done soon."

"Aside for the thing in her skull..." Ashley mused. "You and Miranda haven't found anything else wrong in the scans have you?"

"We didn't get it all done." Raan'ita admitted. "I _do_ want to focus on the surrounding tissue, see what that thing attaches to. I am not sure it attached to the implant."

"Carefully." Williams said with a shudder.

"Oh yeah." Raan'ita agreed with a matching shudder. "And Crado won't leave her side..." She paused. 'He is going to be a problem."

"How so?" Williams asked cautiously.

"He is not sleeping." When James opened his mouth, Raan'ita continued quickly. "And no. Alcohol would be a _bad_ idea for him, commander. Not the least fo which because of what Anya would do to him when she recovers" James shut his mouth with a click and nodded. "That is one reason he is such a mess, lack of sleep. I am _tempted_ to sedate him, hook him up to support and let him sleep for several days, but..."

"He would not react well." Ashley stated.

"No." Raan'ita agreed.

"I will talk to him." Ashley said with a sigh. "If all else fails, I can _order_ him to sleep, and have you dose him."

"You _know_ about him and orders." James said sourly.

"Which is why I am going to talk first." Ashley said with a nod.


	27. Chapter 27

"Crado?"

The soft voice pulled Crado out of his doze. He sat up in his chair and he looked around. Anya was still asleep. In sleep her face relaxed it's habitual mask, showing the marks of pain and fear. He consoled himself that even if she did not remember him, she DID know him. His touch relaxed her. He stroked her arm gently. She smiled and murmured in her sleep but did not wake.

"Crado." The voice pulled his gaze to the door where Spectre Williams stood, a soft, sad smile on her face. "We need to talk."

"I can't leave her." Crado said in an undertone. "She needs me."

"Come here so we can talk without disturbing her." Williams waved to the door and Crado rose reluctantly. "Docs have the intercom open one way so if she DOES wake, we will hear, but anything _we_ say won't bother her. I can set your omni-tool to receive."

"I would appreciate that." Crado said, shaking off the feelings that accompanied sitting in one place for a long period of time. "I don't mean any disrespect Spectre, but I lost her once." He looked down at the sleeping woman and his gaze was tender. "Somehow I got her back. I can't lose her again."

"She needs you now more than ever." Williams said quietly as he bent to kiss his wife's cheek. She murmured in her sleep again, but did not wake. Then Crado walked to the door and Wiliams waved him out. She waited until the door shut to speak again. "She needs you _whole_."

"I can't, Spectre." Crado said, leaning against the wall, his head hung low. "I don't know what broke, or how to fix it. She makes me feel... better. But I am not as I was."

"None of us are, Captain." Williams said as she keyed the door closed. "Here." She hit her omni-tool and his lit up. "This will notify you if her vitals spike or she speaks louder than she has been."

"Thanks." Crado said as he examined the holo display, then nodded. "I spent so much time drunk... I think this is the longest I have been sober since the war ended. I just feel...off."

"I know the feeling." Williams said with a sigh. "I read your record, the public and non-public parts."

"Figured you would." Crado grimaced but did not move.

"You were a decorated vet _before_ the war." Williams said in a conversational tone. "What changed?"

"I have talked with docs, shrinks, all kinds of people..." Crado said softly. "I don't know."

"You sat in all the doc's appointments and didn't say a word." Williams corrected him. "They tried to talk to you and you never responded. And then what you said to Victus... Geez..." She shook her head, rueful admiration flaring.

"I am no politician, Ma'am." Crado said softly. "I never was."

"That is obvious." The Spectre said with a smile. Then she sobered. "You are teetering on the edge. I am one step away from ordering you sedated."

"I figured." Crado said with a sigh. "In your place I likely would have done it already."

"Maybe." Williams said with a small nod. "Maybe not. You know... I never wanted this job. Everything I heard about Spectres gave me the creeps. Even Shepard did on occasion." Crado looked at her and she shrugged. "That mess with Saren was just part of the whole 'black ops are bad' mentality. People who were or thought they were above the law always rubbed me the wrong way." The human woman explained and Crado nodded. "And then to be offered the job... Well... I wasn't ready." She said with a frown.

"I don't think anyone worthy of the job would be." Crado said when she stopped talking. "Everyone knows how hard the job of a Spectre can be."

"Not really." Ashley said with a shudder. He looked at her and she made a face. "Did you know I nearly shot Shepard the day I got out of the hospital?" Crado jerked and stared at her, shaking his head dumbfounded. "To this day, I think Udina made me a Spectre because I was easy to manipulate for his coup." She mused.

"I never heard about that." Crado said slowly. "The coup, yes. One of our people -Mia- was caught by Cerberus in the hospital while defending patients and killed. They didn't like us much."

"Mia?" Ashley asked and then nodded. "Met her in physical therapy. Didn't know she was one of yours. I heard she held off a squad of Cerberus while the staff evacuated the critical cases. And didn't the authorities raise a stink about her keeping her weapon?"

"C-Sec got involved." Crado said with a sad smile. "Got her a dispensation. She said she didn't want to be vulnerable. Half her guts blown out and she was _still_ ready to fight. The entire Citadel if needed. That girl never _did_ have the sense of a gnat."

"Yeah." Williams said slowly. "I remember hearing about some of that. They found twenty Cerberus bodies in the hallway she chose for her stand. Most of them dead with headshots. It took two Atlas rockets to kill her and even _then_ they used grenades to make sure. They blew out the entire room just to make sure she was dead. She scared the _hell_ out of their goons. Was she military?"

"No." Crado said sadly. "She was a hunter, a farmer, a member of a civilian militia on Inta'sei. They were overwhelmed early on, most of them killed. We found her and two others while doing recon for an op. She was sneaky as all hell, but angry, so angry..." He sighed. "Kind of like me."

"You are alive." Williams contradicted him softly.

"Am I?" Crado asked, his gaze far away. "Without Anya... I would have died with my men, or later. She just kept kicking me into shape. At first I thought she was just a cold heart, the mission was everything. Then I saw past her mask, the side she tried not to show. The pain that she carried with her everywhere. The regret that she could not do more, save more. She took people like me and Mia, made us better, made us _believe_ we could be better."

"I know." Ashley said with a nod. "Shepard was the same way. She just...expected you to the best you could and you did. You would walk through artillery naked not to disappoint her." She shook her head and then cut right to the chase. "Captain, do you _want_ to get better? If you don't then nothing anyone does will help. I can order you scanned, drugged, to talk to docs, whatever, and it won't _help_." Crado looked at her and she shrugged again. "Just because you are a Turian and raised in military service doesn't mean you can't break. I have seen _way_ too many vets of the war just fall apart. I don't want to see that happen to you too. I like you and I like Anya. I do _not_ want to lose either of you."

"I..." Crado paused, stunned by the total sincerity in the human woman's voice. He suddenly seemed to crumple a little. "I don't know what to do. This was never covered in training. Duty, honor, loyalty... All of that was. Regulations, procedures, plans... No one ever had a class on 'What to do after Surviving 101'."

"No." Williams agreed. "For the longest time, no one on Earth understood the guilt that comes, the mix of emotions that comes when the fighting is done. But now, we know more. We _can_ help. _If_ you let us. _If_ you want us to."

"I want to get better." Crado said softly, his hands now coming up to cover his face. "But... Anya..."

"I know. She needs you." Ashley said soberly. Then she stepped close and gently moved Crado's hands from his face so she could look him in the eye. "She needs you whole. Do you trust me?"

"I...I don't know you." Crado said slowly, not moving a muscle. "Nothing against you, but I don't know you except by reputation."

"But you _do_ trust Raan'ita." Williams said gently. Crado nodded slowly. "Then here is what we are going to do. I will stay with Anya. Raan'ita will introduce us if she wakes. I know some Spanish if it will help." Crado nodded again. "That omni-tool will be set to go off if she calls for you. I give you _my_ word, Crado Solinus, one soldier to another, that I will allow _no one_ to harm your wife while you are recovering. Anyone who tries, I will kill, hospital ship or no." Crado was breathing hard as she stepped back. "Is that good enough?"

"The word of a Spectre?" Crado said with a smirk. "Should be." Then he slumped a bit. "Where do I go?"

"Next door down." Ashley said with an encouraging smile. "Raan'ita is expecting you. She is going to run some scans and then prescribe something that will knock you out for four hours."

"Four hours?" Crado asked, looking down the hall. "Why not longer?"

"Because Anya is expected to wake around five hours from now." Williams replied evenly. "And I _think_ she will trust you more than me." She said with a mock pout. "We will need you. We have a specialist coming, I think and that will be... rough."

"What kind of specialist?" Crado asked. "And why rough?"

"A Prothean specialist." Ashley said with a grimace. "Her name is T'soni." Crado inhaled sharply and the Spectre nodded. "You heard about that."

"Garrus was...not quiet in his rants. It was all over the Hierarchy in a day. Most of us were...not happy with her decision. Even those who might have disagreed with Garrus and Shepard being a couple were very upset by T'soni's choice." Crado said softly. "Is she the only choice?"

"She knows more about the Protheans than any three or four others I know of put together." Williams said sourly. "If there were _any_ others with that kind of expertise, I would take them gladly. There aren't."

"With Garrus aboard..." Crado swallowed heavily. "It's going to get messy."

"I know." The Spectre said, her face grave. "We will _try_ to keep them apart. When you wake up, you will stay with Anya. James is going to ride herd on Garrus."

"We can do this, Ma'am." Crado said, then turned towards the next door down the corridor as it opened and Raan'ita stood there, smiling gently. "Thank you."

"Rest well, Captain." Spectre Williams said softly as he walked to the door. Raan'ita laid a gentle hand on his arm and guided him into the room. She took a deep breath and entered Anya's room again. She took a seat by the sleeping woman's bed and pulled a small book out of a pocket. She opened her mouth and spoke very softly so as not to disturb the hurt woman.

Break, break, break,  
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!  
And I would that my tongue could utter  
The thoughts that arise in me.


	28. Chapter 28

**Five hours later**

Anya woke up and immediately regretted it. Her head hurt, her tongue felt like it was two or three sizes too big for her mouth, but it was something else that had her start to writhe. Her stomach was doing flip flops.

"Anya?" The voice of the odd being who called himself her husband came from nearby.

"Mr. Crado?" She called, trying with all her might to control her stomach. She kept her eyes tightly shut. "I am sick... I am going to..."

"Let it happen, Anya. Don't try to fight it or you can hurt yourself." The kind voice of the woman who called herself Williams came and gentle hands eased her up and over as Anya's stomach rebelled. The woman's voice was gentle as Anya barfed into something. "It's all right, Anya. It's okay. This is normal."

"Normal?" Anya croaked. English came easy to her now. "This- is _not_- normal." She complained in between bursts of nastiness.

"Actually it is." Anya felt the fear that had been growing dissipate as the soft voice of the female healer came from nearby. Raan'ita was her name. An odd name, but...familiar to Anya. Somehow she knew that Raan'ita, like Crado, wouldn't let anything happened to her. "You slept for several hours, your stomach is empty and it wants food, but the chemicals your body is producing are competing with each other. Let me see..." A whir close by said that the doc was scanning her again. The sound didn't bother her anymore.

"Chemicals?" Anya asked when the she _hoped_ the disgusting part was done. Her stomach flipped again and she gasped, but nothing else came up. "This is humiliating." She complained.

"Yeah. But we are all friends here. Let me check your temperature." A gentle three fingered hand touched her forehead as somenthing hard entered her ear. She held very still. It surprised her that the medic wanted to touch, but then again, she didn't mind. She liked Raan'ita and the touch was cool and soothing. After a moment, the hand withdrew and Raan'ita spoke again. "Everything looks okay. The problem is that your body is creating a number of new chemicals to facilitate your condition. They don't always agree with each other."

"Like me and my sisters." Anya said softly. "Wait... My condition?" Anya asked slowly. That was new information. Or was it? It didn't _feel_ new. Everything about her felt off, the size of her hands, her feet, her whole body. If she really _was_ thirty six, instead of the twelve she thought she was, then it made sense. But she didn't _remember_ any of what had brought her here.

"Ah, yes." Raan'ita sounded embarrassed. "I think... we could use some privacy, Crado." Anya's eyes snapped open and she stared from the medic to the alien who claimed to be her husband. He smiled at her.

"Anya, it's okay." Crado said gently, his hand tracing hers. "But this is a female thing. If you need me, hit the call button."

"A female thing?" Anya asked suspiciously. "Like gooey stuff?" Both Raan'ita and Williams looked like they were about to choke on smiles while Crado looked embarrassed. How did she _know_ that? His face didn't change color. How did she know he was embarrassed?

"Yeah." Crado said with a smile. "Like gooey stuff. I won't go far. This is partly my fault." He said with a smile. "No matter _what_ happens, I am _not_ going to leave you to face it alone." He bent down and kissed her cheek before straightening and striding quickly for the door. She smiled after him and then focused on the doc and the... What had Crado called Williams? A Spectre? Anya wasn't sure about that. Williams was no ghost.

"So..." Anya said slowly. "A female thing?"

"Yes." Raan'ita said softly as she sat by Anya's bedside. "You know that males and females are different, right?" Anya glared at her and Raan'ita shrugged. "Just want to know what you remember."

"Yes, I know males and females are different." Anya said, her tone somewhat sour. "My mother always said to be careful, that bad men wanted me. But never _why_. I read in a class that males provide the genetic material for procreation and females bear the children." She said in a perplexed voice. "But no one ever said _how_ it worked. I _certainly_ wasn't going to ask my mother and everyone else I asked told me not to." She said with a confused look. "That I would find out when I got older."

"Oh boy." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Anya, you are thirty six years old, that means you are a full adult, even if you do not remember _being_ a full adult. So..." She looked at Williams who shrugged.

"Don't look at _me_." Williams said whimsically. "I am not a parent." But she did sit down in the other chair, the one Crado had vacated. "Anya, we will be telling you some things. They may be hard to believe."

"I am going to be a mommy?" Anya asked caustically, only to pause as both women did not react. "Ah..." She stammered. "That was a joke." She said slowly, fear darkening her eyes.

"You are." Raan'ita said gently, her left hand coming down to touch Anya's now shaking right one. "And that is no joke. It is not funny in the slightest." She rubbed Anya's hand gently.

"I..." Anya shook her head slowly. "You all say I am an adult, but I feel like a kid. I don't..." She shook herself. "I can't..."

"Anya." Raan'ita's voice was soft as new lamb's wool now. "Look at yourself." She held out a mirror to the young woman and Anya took it gingerly as if afraid it would bite her.

"I..." Anya stared at her reflection. The face that stared back at her was hers, but not. The scared face was old! The eyes were the same dark brown she remembered, but the rest... Her hair was cut short, so very short. There were marks on her face, scars of old wounds. Marks of pain and fear, but also... the creases of laugh lines around her eyes. The face looked like it smiled as much as it screamed. It smiled at her hesitantly when she did, so she had to accept that it was, indeed, her face. Then the image in front of her changed and she stared transfixed as an image of horror appeared in front of her. "_No!_" She screamed as she threw the mirror away and cowered back on the bed. "Nonononononono..." She said as she tried to curl up in a ball, only to be stymied by the tubes and wires that were connected to her.

"_Anya!_" Raan'ita's voice was sharp with worry as she jumped up and sat on the bed beside the cowering woman. She gathered Anya's unresisting from up in her arms and crooned gently until Anya relaxed a little. Williams remained where she was. "What happened? What did you see?" She asked as she held Anya's quivering form close. Anya took strength from the medic's calm.

"I don't know." Anya stammered, her fear making her words run together. "I saw my face, older. Hurt and scared, but..." She paused. "It was me. "I didn't believe, but you are right... I _am_ old..."

"No, you are not." Williams said sourly. "Middle aged, not old." She said with a smile. But that faded. "Then what?"

"I don't know." Anya said slowly, burrowing into Raan'ita's arms. "My face changed as I looked at it. It was still my face, but I wasn't human." Her voice cracked. "I _wasn't_!"

"What did it look like, Anya?" Williams asked after Raan'ita had calmed Anya down a little. "The face?"

"Two glowing eyes." Anya said slowly. "Not like yours, yellow. There was no nose or mouth... And the skin..." She shuddered again. Raan'ita hugged her. "I looked like a _bug_!" Williams recoiled, but then leaned forward, her fingers flying over her omni-tool and the display flaring as she pulled up files.

"Anya? Like this?" Williams asked as a holo-display appeared. She oriented it so Anya could see. Anya took one look and with a sharp cry, buried her face in Raan'ita's shoulder again. "I guess that is a yes." Williams said. Anya nodded savagely, her face still buried as Raan'ita tried to calm her down.

"What is that?" Raan'ita asked, not able to look at the holo while tending Anya.

"A Collector." Williams said coldly.

"Kealah..." Raan'ita said softy as she worked to calm Anya down. "Anya, it's okay. We will make it okay."

"What am I?" Anya cried as Raan'ita held her. "What am I?" She demanded.

"You are my friend, Anya." Raan'ita said in a tone that brooked no argument. "Williams?"

"Right." The Spectre hit her omni-tool and Crado's face appeared. "Crado, we need you."

"On my way." Crado said and moments later the door opened. Crado strode in and froze on taking in the scene. "What happened?" He demanded as he walked towards the bed.

"Anya saw something in her reflection that scared her." Raan'ita said softly as Anya cried. "We were explaining that she was older than she thought." She made space on the bed and Crado sat down as well, taking Anya's arms in his. She curled onto him with an inarticulate cry. Raan'ita let her go and then started scanning the terrified woman with her omni-tool. It was unlikely Anya noticed as distraught as she was. "She looked at herself and screamed and threw the mirror away."

"What did she see?" Crado asked, his hands stroking, gently calming. "Anya?" He asked, but Anya was beyond speaking. He sighed and held her while she sobbed.

"Herself as a Collector." Williams said, her face stony. "Small wonder she freaked."

"Yeah." Crado said, his voice stunned. "Small wonder."

"I want to know what happened to me." Anya said in the silence that fell. "Do whatever you have to, for as long as you have to. I will do whatever you want me to. Just... find out!"

"Anya..." Raan'ita said slowly. "The scans distressed you, before. We don't want to stress you too badly. Your body is in a delicate condition at the moment. Any gross changes, emotional or physical, can hurt you _or_ your baby."

"I need to know." Anya said slowly, her face coming out from Crado's arms. "I trust you. I don't _remember_ you, but I trust you. Please?" She begged.

"All right." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "We can set up a new scan cycle for this afternoon." Anya nodded and cuddled Crado again. Raan'ita glanced at the Spectre and both shared a grim look. But nothing untoward was heard in Raan'ita's voice when she spoke again. "We have an expert on technology like we told you that we found in your skull coming, probably tonight. She will want to talk to you."

"Anything you want me to do." Anya promised.

"I will go tell Miranda while you unhook her, Raan'ita." Williams said, rising. "Do you want me there, Anya?"

"If... If you don't mind." The younger woman said.

"I don't." Williams said gently, coming close to touch Anya's sleeve. "I _do_ need to report this, but... It can wait." Then she paused as the intercom chimed.

"Yes?" Raan'ita asked.

"Captain." Her husband's voice was coldly formal. "We have a new arrival in system." Something about his voice put everyone on guard. "We need you and Williams on the bridge."

"Right." Raan'ita said softly. "Anya, I will send Miranda with a nurse. They will unhook you, get you to the scanner room and start the scans. Crado..." He looked at her and she nodded to him. "...will not leave your side until you go into the scanner. He will be in the room at all times. I should be in shortly."

"I will be okay." Anya promised. "Take care of _your_ problems."

"My friends come first." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "But we _will_ tend you, Anya. I promise we will be gentle."

"Thank you." Anya's voice was small as she burrowed into Crado's arms again. Raan'ita patted her arm again and then rose. Williams followed. Neither spoke until they were outside the room and the door had shut.

"Do I want to know?" Williams asked softly.

"There is only _one_ reason that Joruz wouldn't have _said_ who it was." Raan'ita said, her mouth taut in a grim line. "Only _one_ group that he would want kept from Anya that badly. We heard a lot about them, especially when she was sedated. The crap that we have been getting form them since she was found hasn't changed our opinion of the boshtets." Williams blinked at the unaccustomed profanity from the normally kind and gentle medic. Then she winced.

"Oh crap..." Williams said with a gulp. "Her family..."

"Yeah."


	29. Chapter 29

"...and I am afraid there is no one by that name aboard this ship, sir."

The male Quarian in the captain's seat did not acknowledge the two females when they entered the bridge. He wore a full envirosuit, like many Quarians. Many had not adapted to life outside the suits even when their bodies _could_. All of his attention was on the holo screen in front of him and the fiery faced human who dominated it. The human's dark hair and face proclaimed his relation to Anya. They looked at the plot where a small ship, a yacht of some kind -barely the size of a frigate with less than half a frigate's power or shields- was closing with the Merciful Flight.

"Don't try to lie to me, suit rat!" The man snapped. "I _know_ my daughter is aboard that ship. I want her. Now." Raan'ita made a growling noise under her breathe. She subsided when Williams shook her head.

"Did you just insult the Executive Officer of this ship, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes?" Williams asked mildly as she stepped into range of the camera pickup. "I suggest you apologize."

"You." The man on the screen's glowing eyes narrowed as he looked at Williams. "Where is my daughter, you alien loving...?" He broke off as Williams shook her head.

"If you finish that sentence, I can and will have you in a cell by the end of the day. You may not _stay_ there long, but I _will_ put you in one." Williams said in the same mild tone. "Insulting people may get you what you want in _your_ world, Mr Wilson-Fuentes. But in _mine_? It gets you in trouble."

"You wouldn't _dare_." Pedro Wilson Fuentes said with a cold laugh. "You know who I am."

"And you know who I am." Ashley Williams said quietly. "What makes you think I _care_ who you are?" She asked calmly. "I know you have more money than I am ever likely to see in my life. And you know what? I don't give a Vorcha's behind." She treasured his pole-axed expression for a moment and then nodded to Joruz. "Who is this...person...demanding we turn over to him anyway?" She asked Joruz who nodded to her.

"Someone named Anya Wilson-Fuentes." Joruz said clearly. "We have no patients by that name aboard." He said with a shrug. Williams nodded. Anya was listed in all the files under her married name or just as Anya. Everyone aboard knew how she felt about her family.

"You are lying!" The patriarch of the Wilson Fuentes family snapped. "Give me my daughter!"

"None of your children are aboard." Williams said calmly. "And since that is the case, I suggest -respectfully of course-..." There was precious little respect in her tone. "...that you back your ship away from this one. This is a hospital ship and therefore- by Council decree- is sacrosanct. That decree has been acknowledged by every remaining space faring community. It is unarmed. Not that your 'supposedly' unarmed yacht is going to be able to do anything but muss the paint if you hit it with the two mass drivers you have hidden aboard that junket of yours. This _was_ an Alliance cruiser and still has the armor plating."

"Best be careful, _Spectre_." The man on the screen said snidely. "Accidents can happen way out here."

"That they can." Williams said calmly. "Which is why _my_ ship is trailing _yours_. You activate anything that even _looks_ like a weapon and the Normandy will blow you out of space. Regretfully, of course. But like you say, accidents _can_ happen." Raan'ita looked at her but Williams did not take her eyes off the man on the screen.

"You are bluffing." But the man looked uncomfortable.

"Am I?" Williams asked him, her voice about as warm as an ice cube. "Well, then. Feel free to do something dumb. Please." Her tone changed to barely suppressed contempt now. "You are an idiot. Your insults are as asinine as your agenda. You came all the way out here to get someone who does not _exist_. Go away, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes. _Some_ of us have _real_ work to do." With that, she cut the transmission before he could utter a word.

"Was that wise?" Raan'ita asked slowly. "I mean, if his ship _is_ armed...? We have armor but we don't have the crew of a warship and very few of my people are trained for combat."

"I know Joker." Williams replied with a small smile. "He and EDI will have been monitoring. He is not going to let that idiot do anything too stupid. Won't even have to kill anyone. EDI can handle that moron's ship better than any of his people can in all likelihood." She smiled widely as the plot changed. "And speak of the devil..."

She watched with no small amusement as the small yacht seemed to jump. Having a fully armed Alliance frigate simply appear within cosmic knife fighting range would do that to any reasonably sane pilot. Additionally, the Normandy had her main gun deployed, but it obviously was not charged. Not that she expected any civilians to know that. The yacht backed away from the hospital ship swiftly, the Alliance ship matching it's every move, seemingly without effort.

"We are being hailed by the Normandy. Voice only. In clear..." Joruz said in astonishment. "Respond?" He asked Raan'ita who looked at Williams who shrugged.

"He wants Wilson-Fuentes to hear it. On speaker." Raan'ita said. Jorus tapped a control and a familiar male voice sounded from the speakers.

"Merciful Flight, this is SSV Normandy." Joker's tone was a little too cool, Williams realized. Had he ever met Anya? Known about her history with her family? That _might_ be a problem. "Is everything all right over there?"

"Yes." Raan'ita replied evenly. "A misunderstanding. The owner of the yacht thought we had one of his family aboard. We have checked our records and we do not."

"For a moment, we thought they were going to attack you." Joker's voice turned serious. "As that would be a breach of seventeen Council statutes, we thought it best to be ready to assist." Raan'ita turned to Williams and mouthed 'Seventeen'? Williams shrugged. "Is Spectre Williams there? You need any help?"

"Stand down, Joker." Williams said calmly. "The main gun is overkill anyway. It killed that Collector cruiser and more than a few Reapers. The barriers on that overgrown teakettle wouldn't stand up to the Normandy's GARDIAN system, let alone anything heavier."

"Yes, Ma'am." Joker replied. "We will be around." With that, the ship seemed to vanish as it activated it's stealth systems again. The com clicked off and Raan'ita turned to Williams, an inquiring expression on her face.

"Seventeen?" The Quarian asked incredulously.

"More or less." Williams said with a smirk. "Joker _has_ been known to exaggerate a bit on occasion."

"I see his reputation, and yours..." Joruz said from his seat. "...are well earned." He chortled a bit.

"Eh..." Williams shrugged. "That guy irritated me with his demands over the com. Did he _really_ think that coming out here in _person_ was going to change my responses? The girl who was his daughter no longer exists. Her choice. Nothing _he_ says is going to change that."

"I think Anya put it best." Raan'ita said sadly. "'His own little world'."

"Yeah." Williams said with a sigh. "He obviously has little grasp of the real one. There are some things money just can't buy. Not that _he_ will ever figure that out." She paused as the plot changed again. "What the-?" She said as she saw a ship decelerate from faster than light travel and approach. This one however...

"Asari shuttle." Joruz said after checking his instruments. "Broadcasting an Alliance code. It's the one we were told to expect." He looked at Williams who nodded.

"I guess we should let her land." Ashley said after taking a deep breath. "I will meet her. Raan'ita?"

"I will go check on Anya, see how the scans are coming." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Where is Garrus?"

"I let him use the range." Joruz said quietly. "He wanted some target practice. Vega was with him."

"I better check." Williams said as she started for the door, then paused. "With your permission, captain?"

"Go." Raan'ita said with a grimace. "The _last_ thing I want is for those two to run into each other by surprise." She watched as the shuttle moved into a landing pattern. "I will head down in a minute."

"Right." Williams said as she exited the bridge. She keyed her com. "Vega?"

"What's up, Poet?" The laconic rely came. Williams grimaced. His nomiker for her was fitting, she had to admit. But it _did_ bother her sometimes.

"Our expected guest is landing." Williams said as she keyed the elevator panel. "Where is Garrus?"

"Scars is knocking out the eyes of holo targets." Vega replied. "I will keep him here. Lots of guns that need calibration." Williams had to smile at that. Garrus had always been neck deep in calibrations every time she had seen him. The Mako on the SR-1, the Thanix cannon on the SR-2, various and sundry firearms everywhere else.

"If we get anywhere near there, I will let you know." Williams replied. "Let me know when he leaves and stay with him."

"ROE?" Vega asked formally. Rules of Engagement.

"Keep it non-lethal and quiet if you absolutely have to. We don't want to disturb the patients aboard." Williams said softly. "Oh and Vega?"

"Yeah?" Vega asked.

"Don't underestimate him _or_ his anger." Williams warned. "He loved Shepard. And he _did_ shoot the doc once already."

"I know." For once the Lieutenant Commander's voice was totally serious. "I won't. But you watch _your_ back, chica. That blue witch is dangerous too."

"I know." Williams said as she hit the button to take her to the hangar bays. "I know..." She repeated, checking her rifle, her sidearm and her armor's systems. She hoped she wouldn't need any of it, but if she did, she wanted to be ready. For anything.


	30. Chapter 30

Well, she _thought_ she was ready for anything. Williams stood, stock still as the Asari commando in full armor who had gotten out of the shuttle first looked her over. Williams knew she was good, but Asari commandos were _not_ to be trifled with. The light armor and seemingly average Avenger rifle on the Asari's back did not mean this female was rookie. From how she moved? She was anything but.

"Spectre Williams." The ageless warrior said calmly. "I figured I would come out first, save any...misunderstandings." Williams nodded. "My name is Oeia." Williams eyes narrowed and the Asari nodded. "Yes, I was one of Anya's people for a while. I owe her my life, so when I was asked if I could work as a bodyguard, work that got me here, I said 'sure'."

"You were not here for the party." Williams said slowly.

"Party?" Oeia asked slowly, her face then turned sad. "Oh yeah, I heard when I got back to my ship. I was...occupied. A feral Vorcha infestation on Cyone. The unit I was with was sent to clean them out of the reactor spaces."

"Oh not _again_." Williams said with a groan. "Is that planet _ever_ going to be cleaned out?"

"Maybe this time." Oeia said with a smile. "We were relieved by a team of Krogan. They were talking about mounting Kalkliosaur expeditions into the badlands to find the nesting grounds and burn them."

"If anyone can do it, Krogan can." Williams nodded. "So why are _you_ here?" She asked bluntly.

"To put it plainly, I am here as an apology." Oeia said with a sigh. "Almost every Asari who has heard about what T'soni did is ashamed. What she did cuts to the _heart_ of our culture, our beliefs, everything we are." She shook her blue head and sighed again. "We understand your anger. We understand it very well. What Liara T'Soni did is unforgivable."

"Then why are you her bodyguard?" Williams asked, confused.

"I am not." Oeia said with a nod. "I am Jani's."

"Jani?" Williams asked and then froze as a small blue form appeared at the shuttle hatch. Her breath left her body in a solid whoosh as she saw the small Asari's face. "Oh my god." She said softly, shocked. She had heard, but seeing it...

"Jani." The bodyguard did not turn, but the words were to the small Asari. "You should not be out here yet."

"You are Spectre Williams? You knew my father?" The small Asari asked. Her skin was the normal Asari blue, if very dark due to her youth. But her face was Shephard's! "Mother is sorry." She said forlornly.

"Jani." Oeia said sternly, a wealth of disapproval in that single word.

"I had to say that, Oeia." The little Asarai said stoutly, but her face was sad. "Punish me as you will, but I had to say that. Mom is crying again."

"I know." Oeia said, her face losing it's sternness for just a moment. "But she messed up, Jani."

"So everyone has said." The young Asari said soberly. Then she bowed to Williams who stood transfixed. "My name is Janusea. But everyone calls me Jani. I am pleased to meet you and I am sorry to be such a cause for anger."

"I am pleased to meet you, Jani." Williams replied automatically. "I am not angry with you. Shocked, confused, worried, all that. But not angry." She looked at Oeia who smiled and nodded. Williams bent down and held out her arms. Jani looked at her for a moment and then came into her arms, tears starting to fall. "Don't cry, Jani. It's okay."

"No it's not." Jani said softly through her tears. "I love my mother. I don't want to leave her!"

"What?" Williams asked, her confused gaze going from Jani to Oeia who nodded slowly.

"The matriarchy have made a decision. Hence why I am here." Oeia said sadly. "I would have jumped at the chance to see Anya again. But this... They decided they needed a delicate touch. I have done bodyguard work for centuries. I know how to be diplomatic when needed. Not all Asari can say that." She said with a frown. "I had planned to tell you in private but I guess now is as good a time as any. I assume we are being recorded? This is formal on the behalf of the matriarchy as a whole." Williams stiffened and nodded.

"It is." Williams said slowly. " I had no idea _what_ would come out of that shuttle. But I never expected this." She nodded to the crying youth in her arms.

"Okay." Oeia said with a nod. "Then here is it. A mother's rights are generally inviolate. An Asari mother has the right to bear and raise the child of her choice. But it is a matter of law, custom, as well as just plain decency to _tell_ a father when it is going to happen. It is _not_ something to do lightly, or on a whim. What Liara T'soni did was not on a whim, nor done lightly. She knew what she was doing, every minute. She took the mate of another and made a child with that being without knowledge or consent." Jani made a noise of sadness and hugged Ashley tighter. "Her memories have been examined by Justicars and the ruling is clear."

"Ruling?" Ashley asked, hugging Jani back as the waif shuddered.

"Liara T'Soni has broken our oldest laws." Oeia said with a sigh. "She has proven herself incapable of being trusted with the responsibility of raising a child." Williams inhaled sharply and Oeia nodded. "This is _not_ something that we want. This is _not_ something that we _ever_ want to have happen. Taking a child from her mother is... awful. This will hurt Jani and we do not want to do that. There are many among the Asari who would gladly take Jani in, myself included. She is a wonderful child. But..." Oeia paused, as if gathering her courage. Odd that.

"But?" Williams asked softly.

"This has happened before." Oeia said sadly. "Three times in our race's recorded history. Each time, the ruling and punishment was clear. The child was taken from the mother and offered to the family from whom the DNA was stolen." Williams blinked, and then her eyes went wide.

"You _cannot_ be serious!" The human woman exclaimed. "Do you have _any_ idea what he will do...?" She broke off as Oeia nodded.

"We do." The commando said calmly. "That is why I am here. I am expendable."

"_No!_" Jani shouted, tearing herself from Williams and running to Oeia. "No Oeia! Not you!"

"Jani." Oeia said sternly and Jani stopped short. "Laws exist for a reason. Without law we are nothing but animals. What did you study on the way here?"

"Law. Mom broke the law." Jani said her face falling. "She meant well..." The little Asari begged.

"I know that, Jani." Oeia said sternly. "You know that. Spectre Williams here likely knows that. But that doesn't change the _facts_." She bent down and looked Jani in the eyes. "I know it's not fair."

"Life isn't fair." Jani said in a voice far too old for her actual age. "I am sorry, Oeia."

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry for." Ashley said before Oeia could. The commando looked at the Spectre and both shared a grim nod. "Let me...um... We only expected one." Oeia nodded, her face creased with a tiny smile. The Spectre hit her com and spoke. "Joruz? Change of plan, We have _three_ guests, not one."

"Double room or separate?" The XO asked calmly. Williams looked at Oeia who held up two fingers.

"Separate." Williams said softly. "I'll need an escort for the others."

"It's handled." The XO said calmly. "Raan'ita has started the scans. Escort should be there any second."

"Thanks, Joruz." Williams replied as she cut the com. "Now...where...?"

"This one is pleased to assist." A mechanical voice sounded form one wall as a very recognizable form appeared from the shadows. In form it was almost a standard Geth hardware platform. Only a very close inspection would show it had multiple antennae. It was smaller and more maneuverable Prime chassis. Oeia spun, one hand going to her rifle, the other glowing blue, then both falling as Williams did not move. She made a sour face at the Spectre but did not speak, just relaxed as the Geth approached. "This one is pleased to see you again, Commando Oeia."

"T-9-001." Oeia said with a sigh. "You are _going_ to get your headlamp shot off again if you keep sneaking up on me."

"_Again_?" Williams asked softly as Jani sized the Geth up.

The child showed no fear, only fascination. But then again, this was a _very_ different world that the young Asari had grown up in. Geth were friends, helpers, saviors in many cases. Their unique forms gave them the ability to operate with impunity in places that many organic races feared to tread. They also excelled at Search and Rescue, hence why a full contingent of them were stationed aboard the Merciful Flight.

"A misunderstanding when this unit first encountered the Asari commando unit Oeia was with." The Geth said with aplomb. "No harm was done." Oeia actually looked embarrassed.

"Except to my pride." The commando said with a shrug. "Not every day I get rescued from an ambush and then shoot my rescuer."

"Your apology was accepted, Commando Oeia." T-9001 replied evenly, but with faint trace of exasperation? Could Geth _get_ exasperated? "No permanent harm was done." The Geth reiterated. "Quarters are being prepared for you. This unit can lead you."

"I would appreciate that." Oeia said with a nod. "It was a long flight." She nodded to Williams and then to the shuttle. Williams returned the nod. The Geth started for the door and Oeia ushered the young Asari ahead of her. Jani started chattering the moment they started walking.

"You knew Oeia? What was she like...?" Williams had to smile at the youth's enthusiasm. Whatever Oeia or the Geth might have said was cut off when the hatch closed behind them. Her smile faded as a white garbed form appeared in the shuttle hatchway. Liara T'Soni looked like hell. The dress she wore was not armored and... she was unarmed!

"Williams." The Asari that Williams had first seen on Therum said with calm conviction that belied the tear streaks on her face and the gaunt look in her eyes.

"T'Soni." Ashley said just as calmly. She jerked her head at the door and started for it.

"I brought everything I could find on Prothean devices of the sort that was described." The Asari said softly as she walked. "I will need to look at the scans, but I think it is a memory recorder of some kind. If so, I _may_ be able to access it."

"When it was accessed before, her memory was altered." Ashley said, focusing on Anya's problems instead of the problems garbed in white at her side. "She thinks she is twelve."

"By the Goddess..." Liara said softly, horrified. "That is... evil...That poor woman."

"_Can_ you help her?" Ashley asked as they walked.

"I think so." The Asari said after a moment. "If it _is_ what I think it is, it extruded tiny tendrils into the memory centers of her brain. We will need to physically get at the device to access all of them. It probably shut down access to some when Miranda tried external access. It's a defense or anti-interrogation mechanism."

"She is very fragile, Doc." Ashley warned. "Don't hurt her."

"I won't." Liara said sadly. "I have hurt enough people already. Even my daughter." For a moment she looked a thousand years old, not a hundred and eighteen. She shook herself and spoke evenly. "I have to say this, to you and then to everyone I can. I _am_ sorry. I thought I was doing good and I did evil. I had no _right_ to do what I did. And I will pay for it for the rest of my life."

"Are you still the Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked carefully.

"No." Liara said with a sigh. "I can't trust myself, so I found someone I _could_ trust. Someone with unimpeachable integrity."

"Who? Samara?" Ashley asked half joking.

"Her daughter Falere" Liara replied evenly. Ashley stopped in mid step and stared at the Asari. For her part, Liara maintained her place. "The Ardat Yakshi. She cannot leave her monastery, but she _can_ work from it. I work for her now. Oh and..." She held out a small device to Ashley who stared at it. "Use it if I try to run. Or hurt Jani. In any way. Oeia has one. So should you." Her eyes were glistening as she waited.

"Is that a detonator, Liara?" Ashley asked, not taking it. Liara nodded and Ashley hissed. "To what?"

"The small bomb nestled between the hemispheres of my brain." Liara said softly. Ashley went white at that but Liara was not finished. "Part of my punishment. Once Jani is...gone, I am forbidden to be on the same planet at her. Ever. On pain of swift death. This is the last time I will see my daughter."

"That's...extreme." Ashley said slowly.

"It's the law." Liara said softly, not moving, not dropping her hand with the deadly little device in it. "I didn't... I just wanted to give Shepard a present. Something that would last. I could see it in her eyes, she didn't think she would survive the battle. I wanted to help, to ease her somehow. And I couldn't. None of us could."

"I remember." Ashley said, not moving.

"What I did was wrong." Liara said softly. "I should have asked her, Garrus. I know both of them wouldn't have minded if I had asked. But I was so scared to... So, I violated her, Ashley. I used my power to take her DNA from her without her knowledge or permission. I did that to the woman I admired more than anyone else I have ever met. If she had survived she probably would have killed me like Garrus tried to. No punishment can ever be enough."

"She accepted your gift." Ashley said slowly. "The witnesses said that."

"I was vague on purpose. I was scared. She didn't _know_ what I was offering her." Liara snapped. "When our minds merged, I could _feel_ her confusion, her trust in me. Trust I violated. Let me help Anya, then I will leave and you will never see me again. Take it." Liara held the detonator out to Ashley again. "Please don't make me beg."

"As wrong as what you did was..." Ashley said, her face pale. "This is worse..."

"That is the point." Liara said softly. "The punishment is brutal, horrific, for a reason. We Asari _cannot_ do this kind of thing. We cannot abuse other people's partners. It is the most sacred taboo in our culture. I love Jani more than life, but I cannot trust myself with her. If I could do that to Shepard, the woman who saved my life so many times... Then I cannot be trusted at all. I loved her, and I did that to her anyway."

"Liara..." Ashley said slowly. "I cannot take that."

"Once I am done with Anya, give it to Garrus." Liara said softly. Ashley froze in shock and Liara continued. "As the mate of the one I hurt, he has the right by the law to end my life. I don't know if I _could_ live a thousand years with the knowledge of what I did. _If_ I have to I will, but..." She sighed a little. "Not being able to bear any more children hurts..."

"_Say what?_" Ashley snapped.

"Part of the required punishment for such offenses." Liara said calmly. "Chemical and surgical sterilization." Ashley stared at her, the Spectre's jaw dropping open. "Ashley, by my people's cultural mores, I am at best a thief, and at worst the absolute WORST kind of monster. Ardat Yakshi have no choice, they are born the way they are. I _chose_ to do what I did, knowing it was wrong. I took the choice away from Shepard and Garrus without their knowledge. I don't blame him for trying to kill me. I just hope he doesn't hurt Jani."

"He won't." Ashley said softly. "He may scare her, but he won't hurt her. Seeing her will hurt him."

"I know." Liara bowed her head and shook herself. "Will you take this so I can go help Anya?" She held out the detonator with two fingers. Ashley stared, realizing that Liara was wearing very thin gloves.

"Gloves?" Ashley asked, taking the device reluctantly and pocketing it.

"Yeah." Liara said softly. "No skin contact. One more punishment. At least they are not making me wear the mask while I am here."

"_Mask_?" Ashley asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I can see out, but no one can see my face. I am just a thing in it. It allows me to eat and breathe, no more. And the gloves?" Liara said softly. "Asari can feel DNA through the skin and as a convicted... offender, I am forbidden that. For the rest of my life."

"Holy crap..." Ashley said, dumbfounded. "And I thought _humans_ could be brutal. A thousand years of not touching anyone? Of absolute ignominy?"

"Part of me hopes and prays Garrus presses the button as soon as he gets it." Liara said calmly. "The rest of me just wants to help Anya and go back to the monastery. It is no less than I deserve, Ashley."

"That is awful, Liara." Ashley said with feeling. "I know what we said, what Garrus did, but..."

"I lied to Shepard, Ashley. I stole her DNA to make a child without her permission." Liara said calmly. "This is _far_ less than I deserve. As it is, I got to see Jani for a few years while they wrangled my case all the way up to the Matriarch's Council. And she didn't see me put in the mask. I am glad. I did not handle it well."

"Liara... I..." Ashley shook her head, horrified.

"Lets just help Anya." Liara said softly. "The punishment is decreed. The _only_ one who _could_ have altered it was Shepard, and...well..." She shook her head. "Maybe I can help Anya. Make _some_ good come of this. I documented all my findings, all my knowledge and data on Protheans is stored where Falere can access it."

"How can you be so calm?" Ashley asked slowly. "I would be screaming my lungs out."

"Drugs." Liara said slowly. "Prescription doses metered daily from a code locked internal reservoir to keep me sane. To keep me lucid."

"So you remember." Ashley said slowly. Liara nodded. "I am sorry, Liara, I... I didn't know."

"It is an internal matter." Liara said softly. "Asari internal politics. No reason you would. Shall we?" Ashley nodded and led the way in silence, her thoughts troubled.


	31. Chapter 31

**A small firing range, a few minutes later**

"You _cannot_ be serious." Garrus didn't move from his spot, and his aim point of his Argus rifle did not waver from the face of the Asari who had just finished speaking. "_Me_?"

James Vega did not move from where he was, out of Garru's line of fire on the other side of the ship's small rifle range. When the Asari had announced her business, Vega had retreated to one side of the range while Garrus had -predictably- gone for his rifle. She hadn't moved from her place as his rifle covered her. _Then_ she had dropped her bombshell.

"Yes, Garrus Vakarian." Oeia said calmly, her hands not moving from her sides. "The matriarchy has chosen to give you the choice your mate was denied. She may not have exchanged vows with you, but Shepard _was_ your mate. Liara T'Soni knew this, and did what she did anyway. Her punishment has been decreed and begun."

"And they are giving _me_ the right to take the child...?" He asked dubiously as he lowered his rifle slightly. "A Turian? To take an Asari child? She would outlive me by hundreds of years."

"Species doesn't matter." Oeia said sadly. "You are known far and wide as an honorable being. One who strives to do the right thing. It was decided that _you_ had the right of first refusal. You were hurt the worst by T'soni's betrayal. No one blames you for your reaction. Most Asari who were asked have said you were remarkably restrained under the circumstances, just shooting her. The _last_ time this happened, the aggrieved party hit the perpetrator with a biotic field so strong it reduced the offender to paste. Then again, she _was_ trying to flee her punishment." Oeia said with another shrug.

"This has happened before?" Garrus asked, not lowering his guard. "When?"

"Three times in our recorded history this has happened and been brought to the courts. The last was one thousand, four hundred and six years ago." Oeia said with a shrug. "We had to dig up some _old_ files to prosecute the case properly. Most Asari take the few species wide laws we have as a matter of course. Even Aria T'Loak probably would not have done what T'Soni did."

"That's saying something." Garrus said slowly. "I didn't think Aria _had_ any scruples."

"Sure she does." Oeia said with a somewhat sick smile. "They are just...flexible."

"That is one way to put it." James said with a snorted laugh. "That woman is _scary_."

"Agreed." Oeia said quietly. "Are you going to shoot me, Garrus Vakarian?" She asked, not moving from her spot.

"Gah!" Garrus groaned. "No." He sighed and returned his rifle on his back. "Call me Garrus. You have done nothing to me or mine. I just..." He shook his head. "I don't know. This is...not what I expected."

"I know." Oeia said with a sigh. "Would you like to meet the child?" Garrus looked at her and Oeia grimaced. "Be warned. She _does_ resemble Shepard." James looked from the Asari to the Turian and back but kept his mouth shut.

"I guess I should." Garrus said softly. "Can you...stay?" He asked the commando. "I don't know _anything_ about kids." He looked at James who recoiled and raised his hands in a warding gesture. "Wuss." He said to the Alliance soldier who nodded silently with a slightly sick grin.

"I..." Oeia blinked. "_That_ wasn't covered by my orders. If you want me to, I can. If you want me to leave at any time, say so."

"You said you were assigned as her bodyguard?" Garrus asked as he stepped back up to the range. Without seeming to look, his pistol was in hand and spewing rounds downrange. Every shot was a head shot, and many through the eyes of the humanoid targets.

"Until she is safe with a new family I am." Oeia said formally. "And I respectfully ask that you stop shooting before I call her."

"Right." Garrus safetied his pistol and holstered it at his side. "Just needed to get rid of some stress. One thing. Where is T'Soni?"

"Helping Anya." Oeia said with a nod. "When she is done, she is gone. Unless you want her life. If so, it is yours." Garrus stared at the Asari and she nodded. "Matriarch Council ruled it." Her hand dipped to her belt and came up with a small device. "This is the detonator for three grams of trobinite that was surgically implanted inside her brain." Both Garrus and James stared at the Asari. "We didn't want her to run." She said savagely. "Three grams will liquefy her brain but not break the cranium."

"That's...kinda extreme." James said slowly.

"She was the _Shadow Broker_." Oeia said with a snap. "Goddess only knows the assets she had. This was our insurance. The verdict was passed fourteen days ago. She was in surgery an hour later."

"It took you _that_ long to put the bomb in?" Garrus queried.

"No." Oeia said slowly. "She has had the bomb in her head for over a year. After her trial, she was fitted with a specialized tracking and control implant that took the place of her reproductive organs."

"You neutered her?" Garrus asked, horrified despite himself.

"What is the penalty on Palaven for non-consensual intercourse?" Oeia asked calmly. "Most places on Earth it is castration. Chemical or surgical. We _were_ gentle. There were those who said we should do it without anesthesia."

"Does the kid... Jani... know?" Garrus asked, stunned. "Tell me you didn't make her watch."

"Give us _some_ credit, Vakarian!" Oeia snapped. "She is as much a victim as you and Shepard were. I wasn't there, I was on Cyone. But I heard they had to drag Jani away kicking and screaming. At least she doesn't have any significant biotics yet."

"What else have you done to T'Soni?" Garrus asked, his voice changing from horrified to cold. Oeia looked at him and he shook his head. "I am angry with her, but Shepard would _not_ approve of this. _Any_ of this."

"The punishment dates back from our earliest recorded history." Oeia replied slowly. "It is brutal for a reason. Common _decency_ says not to do what T'Soni did, but the _law_ enforces that. You need to..." She broke off as Garrus made a chopping gesture.

"What. Did. They. Do. To. Her?" He demanded, biting out each word. Oeia hung her head and shook it. When she spoke it was soft, sad.

"The punishment is fourfold." The commando said in the sudden silence. "First the child is taken from the offender and offered to the family that was wronged. Second, they are restrained so that they cannot escape. In this case, the bomb." James and Garrus both stared at her and she continued in the same sad voice. "Third, they are denied the ability to reproduce. Fourth, the offender is not allowed to touch -anyone- ever again."

"How the _hell_...?" James asked, his face a study of shock.

"The very first recorded instance, the perpetrator was encased in molten latex." Oeia said with a sick look. "She...didn't live long afterwards." Garrus actually gagged and James looked like he wanted to puke. "We have...improved things a bit. T'Soni is wearing a suit that will keep her skin from contacting anyone. Then the mask..."

"_Mask_?" Garrus demanded.

"_Any_ skin can be used to transfer DNA, Garrus Vakarian." Oeia said sadly. "Skull skin included. So yes, she will wear a full head mask for the rest of her life once she leaves this ship. It will also hide her identity. Any who do _not_ know of her punishment will see her and assume she has some kind of odd fetish." Garrus was breathing hard as he staggered back to the wall and leaned against it. She looked at him. "I thought you would be happy. She is suffering."

"What kind of a _monster_ do you take me for?" Garrus snapped. "I am angry with her, yes, but _this_...?" He demanded. "That is not justice. That is abuse! Vengeance!"

"I agree." Oeia said sadly. "But the law is the law. Tell me you don't have similar laws on Palaven."

"We do." Garrus admitted. "But they are never used. Never acted on. The punishment... That is barbaric!"

"Yes it is." Oeia said sadly. "No one has confessed to such crimes in a thousand years. She did. Her defender said she was insane and she dismissed the advocate, defended herself. If you can call it that. The _reason_ it went all the way to the highest courts was that no one _wanted_ to do the ancient punishment. She wanted it." Garrus looked even more shocked at that and Oeia continued. "Talking with her on the way here, she told me she believed it was her penance. She loved Shepard."

"I know. Shepard never returned it." Garrus said softly. "But..." He shook his head. "Then she was not in her right mind."

"She was examined, by several psychiatrists and experts on mental conditions." Oeia said with a sigh. "She is sane."

"No, she is not." Garrus said softly. Then he straightened. "I would like to meet Jani." His voice was stronger, clearer. James looked at him as Oeia hit her com.

"Scars..." James asked carefully.

"Don't scare the kid, James." Garrus said calmly as the door opened and a small form entered slowly. He drew in a sharp breath when he saw her face, but then knelt down so his eyes were on level with hers. "Hello." He said gently. To the young one's credit, she looked at the scars on his face and did not wince.

"You are General Vakarian." The young Asari said slowly, scrubbing her face to try and get rid of the tears that had dried on it. "You are the mate of the human woman that my mom hurt."

"I am." Garrus said softly. "Your name is Jani?"

"Janusea." The little female replied, unsure. "Everyone calls me Jani."

"You want me to call you Jani?" Garrus asked slowly. The little Asari looked at him and nodded silently. "Well, Jani, my name is Garrus Vakarian. You knew that." He shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Shepard would have slapped me upside the _head_ for speaking the obvious. Then she would kick me somewhere _really_ painful for making you cry." Both Oeia and James were staring at him now. "She hated seeing kids cry. After what she went through on Mindoir, she hated seeing kids hurt and crying."

"What?" Jani asked, confused. "You didn't...You hurt mom... before..."

"Yes I did." Garrus replied evenly. "I didn't want to know what happened to your mom. If I had known, I would have stopped this. I am angry with her, I probably always will be, but she does _not_ deserve what they are doing to her."

"She says she does." Jani said, tears starting to fall again. "But she is my _mom_..."

"I know." Garrus sad sadly. He held out a hand to her and she took it gingerly. He gave it a squeeze, but did nothing else. "This is wrong. Shepard would _not_ approve. Let's you and me see if we can fix this." Jani stared at him and then lost the battle to hold her tears. He sighed, pulled the sobbing child into an embrace and then rose, holding her gently against his chest armor as she cried. He turned to Oeia who looked flabbergasted. "Commando Oeia?" He asked in command voice.

"Sir?" She replied, snapping to instinctive attention.

"Do you have _any_ pull with the matriarchy?" Garrus asked as he rocked the crying child gently. "I need to talk to Tevos."

"The... Councilor?" Oeia asked, unsure as to where this was going. "I...guess I can ask... But why...?"

"I don't know a _lot_ about Asari law." Garrus said slowly. "But one thing I do know. If someone has claimed a bondmate, that makes them equals under Asari law, right?"

"Yes..." Oeia was unsure. "Why?"

"You said only Shepard could fix this?" Garrus asked. Oeia nodded, still confused. James however, inhaled sharply and Garrus nodded. "Shepard claimed me. I bet EDI has a recording." Oeia's eyes went wide and then her face turned speculative.

"If she did, and if your AI _does_..." Oeia mused. "That _could_ work... maybe..." She said somewhat dubiously as she shook her head. "I don't know. I am no lawyer." Jani stared up at Garrus' face, her watery eyes wide.

"Aren't you mad at my mom?" Jani asked softly, confused. Garrus smiled at her.

"Yes I am." Garrus said with a shrug. "But you know what?" He leaned close and stage whispered to her. "I don't want Shepard mad at _me_ when I finally kick the bucket as humans say. She would make my afterlife _misery_. What has happened to your mom is wrong. I was all about righting wrongs once. Let's try to make this one right. You and me? Okay?" He started for the door, still rocking the child.

"Okay." Jani said, obviously still confused but grateful for the comfort.

"I better come along." Vega said as Oeia followed. "I get the feeling you are going to need a witness. Or a cleanup man. Bracing the Asari _Councilor_ is not my idea of a good time..."

"Come on Vega." Garrus called from ahead. "Where did your sense of adventure go?" The human soldier just shook his head and followed the others.

"Adventure?" Vega asked sarcastically. "Have I told you recently that you are nuts, Scars?" Garrus shrugged but paused as Jani spoke.

"Why did he call you that?" The little Asari asked, unsure. "That is rude."

"No, that is Vega." Garrus said with a smile. "There is a difference." Vega looked like he was going to speak, but then with a glance at the kid, shut his mouth. "He gives people rude names as a sign of affection."

"He _likes_ you so he _insults_ you?" Jani asked, looking at the human soldier who looked a little sheepish. "That is...very strange."

"No." Garrus corrected her. "Like I say, that is Vega."

"Keep it up, Scars..." Vega muttered under his breath. Oeia chuckled a little at the byplay.

"Do you like me?" Jani asked the human who looked at her. "What name would you give me?"

"You _could_ call her 'Little Lola'," Garrus said with a smirk. "He called Shepard 'Lola'." He clarified at Oeia's puzzled glance. The commando nodded with a smile.

"Gimme a little credit, Scars. That would be a bit much." Vega said with a sigh. "Give me a little time to think, Jani. I will come up with one just for you." He smiled at her and after a moment, she smiled back.

"Thank you." Jani replied, a little hesitantly. "I think... I think I can walk now, General Vakarian." Garrus stopped, set Jani on her feet and waited until he was sure she had her balance. But he did not let go of her hand. "I am scared." She admitted.

"So am I, Jani." Garrus said softly. She stared at him and he nodded. "I have been angry with your mom for so long, it has defined me. I don't know if I can ever like her the way I did, before... But it _is_ time I stopped hating her." He paused. What had he just felt? It had felt like... a gentle caress across his mandibles. Like Shepard had... But there was no one there. "So... You and I will talk with some people, try to sort this out. Can you be brave, for your mom?"

"For mom and Shepard." Jani said solidly. "And you." She said in a softer tone.

"Good kid." Garrus said, hugging her again.


	32. Chapter 32

**Scanner Ward**

She felt the aftereffects of sedation fading again. _It is getting monotonous, waking up like this..._ Anya thought to herself with a small sigh.

"Anya? Can you hear me?" Raan'ita's worried voice cut through the haze that surrounded her.

"Raan'ita?" Anya asked slowly. "What...? What happened?" She tried to move and couldn't. She felt panic rise but then forced herself to relax and opened her eyes. The white surface close to her face confirmed her suspicions. She was in the scanning enclosure. "Everything hurt and I..." Memory flooded in and she gasped. "What the hell...? I was... Madre de dios!"

"Do you remember?" Another voice sounded. Her recent memory told her it was Doctor Liara T'Soni. The voice was kind, but distant. "It may be fuzzy."

"I thought I was _twelve_?" Anya snapped, angry with herself. "Geez..." She shook herself roughly. "Of all the _stupid_..."

"Anya, please stop struggling." Raan'ita asked her. "The scans area almost done. We wanted to do one final set. Make sure nothing was jarred when Dr. T'Soni here tweaked the device."

"It _is_ a Prothean device then." Anya said, quelling her movements. "What does it do?"

"It is a recording device." The Asari's voice came again. "I am not sure _why_ it is inside your head or how long it has been there, but it has been some time. When Dr. Lawson tried to access it, it shut down. A protection mechanism. In doing so, it cut off access to much of your memory. Hence why you thought you were twelve years old."

"Huh." Anya thought about that for a second. "But you reactivated it?"

"I did, but it required some surgery. I had to physically touch it." The doc sounded embarrassed. "I learned a lot about Prothean devices from the Prothean survivor that Shepard found on Eden Prime."

"Javik." Anya said slowly. "Right. The one who gave the Alliance the specs for that weird particle rifle. A couple of my team used it and liked it. I never did, it was heavy as hell. Whatever happened to him?"

"He... did not agree with what happened to the Reapers." Liara said sadly. "He wanted them destroyed. He touched one of the small ones in a rage and collapsed... The contact broke something in his mind. We couldn't help him, he just...slipped away. He died a few days later."

"I am sorry." Anya said softly. "Was he a friend?"

"Not really." Liara said in a soft, reminiscing voice. "He was always harsh, always a creep. But then again, he _had_ seen his entire race obliterated by the Reapers. He made most of us angry at times, but he was always ready to fight."

"I knew some people like that." Anya agreed. "The angry and ready to fight kind anyway, not the Prothean kind." Then she paused. "You didn't remove the artifact?"

"We can't." Liara said gently. "It put out tiny, incredibly strong tendrils all through your brain. If we try and pull it out..." She broke off as Anya gulped.

"Yeah..." Anya's tone was slightly sick. "Let's _not_ put my brain through a colander today."

"No." Raan'ita agreed quietly. "Let's not. Almost done, Anya. Good news is this is the last scan."

"I am wondering..." Anya said slowly. "Why did none of the _other_ scans or surgeries I have had show this?"

"It wasn't on your implant when I last had your skull open, Anya." Raan'ita said softly. "After that Marauder nearly decapitated you. But that _was_ ten years ago. I never saw this thing. But the scans are clear. It _was_ in there, but I never saw it." Apology sang in the Quarian's words.

"You are not perfect Raan'ita." Anya said with a snap. "And the human brain is all kinds of messy squishy parts. Easy to miss tiny things, so do _not_ blame yourself. Clear?" She asked with a half snarl.

"The material it is made of is intended to be invisible to most scans." Liara said calmly. "Most Prothean implants were that way. Without the enhanced scanner on this ship, which is a Geth prototype, you never would have seen it at all."

"So was it _on_ my implant?" Anya asked.

"It was moved against your biotic enhancement implant." Liara replied. "But not _on_ it, not attached. Anya, I need to ask something..."

"I am kind of stuck." Anya said with a smile. "What?"

"Did something happen to you when you were twelve?" Liara asked. "It stands to reason that the implant may not have affected memories that predate it's insertion."

"I...see..." Anya said slowly. "Let me see if I can remember." She thought hard for a bit and then sighed. "I did some dumb things, hurt myself playing games and such. But those were usually scratches and bruises. A couple of sprains. Nothing... Wait..." She paused, thinking. Then she groaned. "I fell out of a tree I was climbing the day before my thirteenth birthday. I worked _so_ hard to forget the lecture I got..." She said with a sigh.

"How bad?" Raan'ita's voice was super soft now.

"I..." Anya paused. "I don't quite remember." She admitted sheepishly. "I was _very_ high up, I remember that. Then I woke up in the hospital and my mother came in and lectured me on hurting myself. Sullying my looks..." Anya said with a snarl.

"Anya, it's okay." Raan'ita said gently. "What else do you remember?"

"The docs were nice." Anya said slowly. "But...unremarkable?" She asked herself. "I remember them, but...not their faces?" She paused and grimaced. "This is weird."

"What is?" Raan'ita asked.

"I remember. They said I broke my arm and cracked my skull, had a concussion." Anya said slowly. "So I must have fallen quite a ways. But none of the trees on our estate were very high. And none had branches I could reach when I was twelve. I know, I tried. I couldn't reach the lowest branches of any tree that would support my weight until I was fifteen. If I had managed to get on top of the house, and jumped... I might have hurt myself that badly, but...I don't know." She said, confused. Raan'ita made a noise of thought and then sighed.

"Well, scans are done, Anya." The Quarian said with a smile in her voice. "Ready for freedom?"

"Oh yes." Anya said with a smile of her own. "My bladder is starting to complain." She felt the enclosure she was encased in start to move. "Is Spectre Williams there?"

"I am here, Anya." Ashley's calm voice sounded. "What do you need?"

"The more I try to remember, the more things get hazy." Anya said as the enclosure stopped and she felt the cover coming up. "Could drugs do that? Or hypnosis?"

"Maybe." Ashley said slowly. "I am not sure. Any drug residue will be _long_ gone by now, but hypnosis? I don't know. I will check."

The covering over her head opened and Anya smiled up at Raan'ita's face. Then she stiffened as she saw disapproval on it. She didn't move as Raan'ita disconnected the monitor feeds that were attached to her and helped her sit up.

"Raan'ita?" She asked, hesitant. She looked and smiled at Crado who smiled back, but then the tension in the room registered. The Asari doctor stood against one wall, her head bowed. Williams stood beside her, face a mask of thought. "What is wrong?"

"Your dad is here." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "And he is being a pest."

"Something he excels at." Anya said with a sigh as she rose with Raan'ita's help. "Something so minor as near galactic scale annihilation wouldn't have changed _that_." She said with a shiver. Crado came up and laid a warm robe over her shoulders. Anya smiled her thanks. "So... My memory may have been flawed or tampered with when I was a kid. Wouldn't surprise me with all the _other_ revelations recently." She shook her head. "We need to figure this out, before he tries to do anything _really_ stupid. He never _did_ take rejection well."

"We have told him you are not aboard, but he doesn't believe us." Raan'ita said with a sigh."And it seems he cannot help but insult everyone he talks to."

"He lives in his own little world. If you are not in his social circle, you don't matter." Anya said sadly. "To him anyway. You _do_ matter to me." She leaned forward and gave Raan'ita a squeeze, then stepped back and turned to the Asari. "Dr. T'Soni?" She asked curiously.

"That's me." The Asari said with a smile that did not touch her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Whole." Anya said with gratitude. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Liara said with a nod. "Now I need to get back to the monastery."

"Monastery?" Anya asked slowly. Something was wrong. She could almost feel it in the air. Something was about to happen. Something bad.

"Yes." Liara said softly. "I committed a crime ten years ago. My case was finally decided a week ago."

"You were the Shadow Broker." Anya said dubiously. "Weren't you? What kind of crime could someone try the Shadow Broker for?"

"I am not anymore." Liara said sadly. "And I committed the absolute worst crime an Asari can commit. I violated a friend's trust and body. I deserve everything that will happen to me and more. Much more." Anya shook her head, stunned.

"That is not possible." Anya said slowly. "Shepard always said you were the single most ethical person she knew, herself included. What happened?"

"I made a child from Shepard, without her knowledge or permission." Liara said sadly. Anya stared at her, dumbfounded. "My punishment will last for the rest of my life." Anya tried to find words, something to say to ease the sorrow she heard from the Asari, but her voice suddenly wouldn't work. Liara shrugged and sighed. "I am ready. I... I guess I should get on with it." Everything stopped as the door hissed open and a new voice sounded.

"There is something else you need to do first." Garrus quietly said as he entered the small room.


	33. Chapter 33

"_Not in here_, Garrus!" Ashley shouted, her hands going up and her Valkyrie rifle coming down from her back. Crado stepped forward, placing his armored bulk between Anya and Raan'ita and the Turian who still stood in the doorway. Anya could not understand why everyone was suddenly so tense. Garrus didn't look angry. Indeed, he looked sad, so sad. Garrus raised empty hands.

"I am not going to fight. I only have one question. It is for Liara." Garrus said slowly, not moving as William's rifle moved to cover him. He turned his head to where the Asari stood frozen. "Why?"

"What?" Ashley asked, not moving. Anya stared from one to the other.

"What am I missing?" Anya asked carefully.

"The last time we met, I shot her." Garrus said softly. "Nearly killed her. I was just...so angry... Why, Liara?" He asked. The Asari stepped forward a little.

"Don't do it in here, please, Garrus." Liara said quickly, worried, but not for herself? What the-? "Lots of delicate stuff. I don't want to make a mess here."

"Liara." Garrus said kindly. "I am _not_ going to kill you. I just want to know why."

"I loved her." Liara said in a tiny voice. "I knew she didn't love me. I didn't press. I knew her heart was taken. I just... I saw her face there in London and I knew she wasn't going to..." She broke off as Garrus shook his head.

"Not that, Liara." Now his voice was oddly soft and gentle. "You said all that when you confessed to us on the Normandy after Chakwas found out you were pregnant. Why did _you_ push for such an ancient, horrific punishment? Why did you _fire_ your lawyer? Why did you plead guilty, _knowing_ the punishment? No one, not even _me_, would have done this to you if you had given _any_ of us a choice. The matriarchs were just as horrified as I am by what you chose." He asked, taking a slow step forward. She shook her head and backed up, but ran into the wall and couldn't go any further. Williams stared from Garrus to Liara and her rifle lowered almost of it's own accord. "Why Liara?" Garrus asked again.

Anya turned a confused look to Crado but he looked just as confused. They _both_ turned to Raan'ita and she shrugged, clearly unsure herself. Finally Anya looked to where Liara was cringing against the wall and spoke softly.

"Doctor T'Soni?" She asked slowly. "Is what the General says true?" Liara didn't look at her, turned her face away. "Garrus?" Anya asked, worried.

"She pushed the matriarchs into punishing her this way." Garrus said slowly. "Was it to punish _me_, Liara? You _know_ I never would have agreed to _any_ of this... This brutality." Liara shook her head savagely and Garrus pressed again. "Then _why_? Make me understand, Liara."

"BECAUSE I LOVED HER!" Liara screamed. Everything seemed to stop as she started to cry. "I loved her and I did that to her. I VIOLATED HER! I abused her trust, her care for me. Everything that has been done to me, everything that WILL be done to me, I deserve it AND MORE!" She snapped. "She saved my life DOZENS of times. She helped me so many times, so many ways. She tried to save my MOTHER when Benezia could not be saved. Shepard killed a Krogan battlemaster for me with a single headshot on Therum and then talked a suicidal girl into relaxing enough to be helped. Shepard was the single deadliest AND kindest person I have ever met! And I VIOLATED HER!" Liaras said, crumpling against the wall. "I wanted to give her a gift and I gave her betrayal." She sank to the floor, heaving in grief. "Why aren't the drugs working?" She asked nobody.

"Drugs?" Anya asked Garrus who sighed.

"Calming agents. Part of her punishment. Councilor Tevos gave me the codes for your reservoir, Liara. It is disabled." Liara was shaking her head at Garrus' words. "Liara... Look at me... Please?" He asked. She turned away from him and he sighed deeper. "Liara... What would Shepard do if she saw you doing this to yourself?"

"I..." Liara shook her head. "Kill me Garrus, please. I can't live like this."

"Liara." Garrus' voice was implacable now. "What would Shepard do?" Ashley stared at Garrus, and then, with a slow, sad smile, holstered her rifle. Liara did not respond and Garrus took a slow step in, hands at his sides. Then he paused. "Anya? Can I ask your help?"

"Sure." Anya said slowly. "With what?"

"You took frightened, broken people and helped make them strong." Garrus said softly. "You are one of the best soldiers I know. I need to look her in the eyes."

"Garrus..." Anya said quietly. "She is hurting."

"And she did it to herself." Garrus said sternly. "If I touch her, she will recoil, maybe lash out. I would have no choice but to hurt her. I don't want that. If _you_ do it, you can defend yourself from biotics without lethal force." Anya looked at him and nodded. She patted Crado's arm and he moved aside somewhat hesitantly. He obviously didn't want to, but he did. Anya nodded, stepped to where Liara was cowering and knelt down beside the shaking Asari.

"Doctor T'Soni." Anya said gently. "It's okay."

"Don't touch me!" Liara begged in a scared little girl's voice. "I am dirty, you will get it!"

"You already had your hands in my _brain_, doctor." Anya said with a smile. "If you _were_ contagious, I _think_ I would have it by now." She laid a hand on Liara's shoulder. The Asari jerked but didn't retreat. Indeed, she couldn't go anywhere. "I knew Shepard, Liara T'Soni. So did you. You know the answer to his question." Liara mumbled something and Anya sighed. "Come on, doc. You know better." She took Liara's jaw in both hands and slowly applied gentle pressure to make the Asari look up. "You know what she would do."

"She would help." Liara said, tears falling like rain. "No matter the cost to her, no matter how angry she got, she would help." Anya sighed and then embraced the sobbing Asari.

"Yes she would." Anya said sadly. "No matter the cost. It was just the way she was. She simply could _not_ pass by someone hurting -even in the middle of a mission- and _not_ help if she could. You are hurting. Let me help?"

"You can't help me." Liara replied in a monotone. "Only Shepard could and she is dead."

"True." Garrus said in an odd voice, almost amused. "But... You know what? I actually learned something today. According to Tevos, Shepard and I were bonded by the rules of Asari tradition." Liara's head snapped up to look at Garrus, her face slack. "What does that make me, Liara?" Liara shook her head.

"No." Liara begged. "No! You can't!"

"Liara." Garrus said formally. "By Asari law, I was her bondmate, her equal, her partner. We were going to make it formal after the battle. But it _was_ witnessed." Liara shook her head, trying to speak, but unable to force words out. "And _that_ makes me able to change your punishment." Anya held Liara as the Asari shook herself harshly. "And your punishment is this. For the rest of your life, you will remember what you did. You will look our daughter in the eyes when she is old enough and _explain_ what you did and why. She doesn't understand now, and no one will force her to try. You will _not_ attempt suicide, or hurt yourself in any way again. Is that clear?"

"Wait... What...?" Liara stammered. "'Our'?"

"Jani is crying in the waiting room, Liara." Garrus continued sternly. "She wants her mom back. The medics and Oeia can help you out of the suit. I want a report on what was done to you by the end of the day to see if it can be reversed."

"Garrus...?" Liara asked, very confused. "What... What do you mean 'our'? She is yours by the law."

"So are you." Garrus said sternly.

"_Huh_?" Came from several throats.

"Liara T'Soni, you have been remanded into my custody, for the remainder of my life." Garrus said with a stern look. "I happen to have a ward who needs a great deal of comfort and care that I am not equipped to give. Heck, I cannot even _eat_ the same things she does. I will do my best. I will _not_ mistreat my ward or my retainer."

"Retainer?" Liara asked slowly. Everyone else stared at Garrus who nodded.

"You are not the _only_ one who can find ancient laws, Liara." Garrus said with a smile. "By _Turian_ law, you are now my retainer. My servant. That means I am responsible for _you_ and anything you _do_. Step out of line and I will punish you, if not this harshly. You will be paid a salary and draw sufficient credit to support the two other Asari who are now in my extended family. Jani and her bodyguard. But..." He lifted a hand to still the protests of several throats. "When I die -as long as you do not kill me in my sleep and get caught doing it-, your freedom is guaranteed. You are _not_ a slave. It is legal and all the forms have been filed."

"But..." Liara started to say and Garrus cut her off.

"No 'Buts' Liara." Garrus said with a sigh, "Get up off the floor, go out there and get our daughter to stop crying please?" Liara did not resist as Anya shifted her hands to the Asari's arms and pulled her up. "Doctor Raan'ita? Can I get a scan done on her by the end of the day?"

"I think we can fit her in." Raan'ita said with a smile as Anya helped Liara to walk. Indeed, the Asari seemed to have some difficulty.

"I am still angry, Liara." Garrus said with a sigh as she came close. "But it is time I stopped hating you. And... It is time you stopped hating yourself."

"I..." Liara shook her head. "I don't know if I can."

"Try." Garrus said sternly. "Jani needs you. Oh and Anya? I have a pleasant surprise for you."

"Oh?" Anya asked as she assisted Liara to the door, Garrus stepping aside.

"An old friend." Garrus said with a smirk as the door opened and an Asari commando was there with arms outstretched, ready to aid.

"_Oeia_?" Anya asked, stunned. "Is that you?"

"In the flesh, hurli girlie." Oeia said with a smirk that turned to a frown. "Ah Liara... Come on, we have a lot of work to do. But Jani needs to see you first." She led Liari off, half supporting the tottering doctor.

"'Hurli girlie'?" Garrus asked as the door closed behind the pair of Asari. Ashley stared with him at Anya. Crado and Raan'ita just smiled. "Never mind." He said with a sigh as Anya shrugged. "I don't want to know."

"Let's just say there was alcohol involved and leave it at that." Anya said primly, but the twinkle in her eyes spoiled the effect. "What will happen to her?" Anya asked, nodding to the door.

"She will be a long time recovering from this." Garrus said soberly. "She made a mistake, but... She made something wonderful _from_ that mistake. She has spent the last ten years castigating herself for what she did. I did have to talk _very_ fast with Tevos and a few others, but everything is legal. She is _my_ responsibility now. I don't know if I will be able to keep my temper all the time, but any time I get angry with her, I will just remind myself, 'What would Shepard do'?" He sighed. "It won't be easy, but we never _get_ easy."

"Wouldn't know what to do with easy." Anya said with a matching sigh. "We were not trained for such things."

"True." Garrus said with a smile. "Thank you, Anya."

"Anytime, Garrus." Anya said with a smile. "You did a good thing."

"What she did was bad." Garrus said with a nod. "What she wanted to do to herself was worse. I better head out, I am _supposed_ to be in charge of her and Jani after all."

"And _how_ long do you think that will last?" Raan'ita asked whimsically. "I _have_ kids, General." She said at his puzzled expression.

"This is going to be weird." Garrus said with a shrug. "No one has used the 'retainer' clause in a couple of thousand years as best I can determine. And then I have a ward _and_ her bodyguard on top of that..." He shuddered. "Anya? Want a job? I hear the perks are nice..." He asked with a smile as she comically cowered away.

"No way!" She exclaimed, but it was comical rather than fearful. Then she paused with everyone else as William's com chimed. The Spectre hit her com and listened for a moment before sighing.

"Anya, the Council wants to see you in person." Williams said soberly. "They are sending a ship."

"I...see..." Anya said soberly. Raan'ita walked up to her and gave her friend a hug. "Raan'ita?"

"You are good to go, Anya." The doctor said with a sigh. "Your arm and eyes have healed and Doctor T'soni fixed your head, so... I will be by when I can."

"I will hold you to that." Anya said, hugging her friend again.


	34. Chapter 34

"So... Why is the Council sending a ship? Why not use the Normandy?" Anya asked as she had finished packing her meager belongings, essentially her dress uniform and a few history datacards she had been given. "And why can't Crado come?" She asked somewhat petulantly.

"Anya." Crado said with a glower. "I haven't been given leave. Commander Mornis ordered me to stay with you, but that was assuming I would remain on the Wings of Xenobia or close to it He doesn't mind, but _he_ needs to clear it with HQ. It takes time. I will meet you on the Citadel. As for the Normandy?" He looked at William who shrugged.

"We have another job." Williams replied but did not elaborate. Anya looked at her and did not press. Spectre business. "I will stop by when we get back to the Citadel. It shouldn't be long. I _hope_ so anyway."

"Take care." Anya said with a sigh as she hefted her small bag. "The life of a soldier is rarely happy, but it IS a job that needs doing. Garrus is staying here?"

"Liara needs some specialized medical care and this ship can provide it." Williams said with a shrug. "He is taking this whole 'feudal lord' thing a bit far in my personal opinion, but hey, if it helps him... And her." She made a face. "That is a good thing. They both have a reason to live now rather than just survive. Jani is a good kid."

"Yeah, she is." Anya said with a grin. She had met the small blue tornado for a bit and come away breathless. "At least my dad left, but that... worries me." She said with a frown. "That is not like him."

"Anya." Williams said with a sigh. "What can he _do_? He is powerful _on Earth_. I know three volus off hand with several times the money he has. And _they_ do _not_ take genetic manipulation lightly."

"I knew some volus myself. We found some survivors during our ops. Three of them joined us for a bit." Anya said with a fond smile. "Hard to get to know, but good beings and loyal."

"Ah, yeah..." Crado said slowly. "About that..." Anya turned and looked at him.

"What?" She asked suspiciously. "What now?" She demanded. Crado raised a warding hand.

"Nothing bad." Crado said quickly. "I got a message last night and was waiting for a good time to tell you." Anya glared at him and he winced.

"Tell me _what_?" She asked sourly. "Is Grutz coming to give me parental advice or something?" At Ashley's confused look, she sighed. "A Vorcha on our team. Was always making comments about other species odd mating behaviors." Williams stared at her and then shook her head. "No, you don't want to know." Anya agreed. "Tough little scumsucker though. Crazy but tough."

"No, it wasn't Grutz." Crado said with a grin. "It was from Tualo."

"Oh no..." Anya groaned, earning another puzzled look from Williams. "Not more poetry? P_lease_?"

"Come on, Anya." Crado said with a smirk. "What is wrong with 'Oh my goddess of Biotics, let me smell your feet'?" Williams barked a laugh and turned an incredulous glance at him as Anya made a disgusted noise. "She saved his life and he swore undying love." Williams actually gulped at that as Anya slumped in place. "_Anya!_ He was high. His suit had so many holes in it, I was surprised he could breathe at _all_." Crado said with a smile. "It was a joke. Well, _after_ he woke up from the nap caused by incompatible atmospheres anyway. He has one _heck_ of a sense of humor."

"_You_ try finding him in your shower!" Anya said with a snarl. "That volus was creepy!"

"He apologized for that, Anya." Crado said with a nod. "He didn't understand what it was for. He had never seen one before, remember? Not one that size."

"What did he want?" She sighed, relaxing a little. "_Please_ tell me he doesn't want to blow up anything else?" She begged. Williams looked at her sidelong and Anya shuddered. "When we met, he said he was a demolitions specialist."

"He _was_." Crado said staunchly. "Anya... You _have_ to admit he was." Anya shuddered but then nodded and Williams just looked confused.

"A volus demo specialist?" The Spcter said slowly. "Was he good?"

"Very." Crado said with a nod. "Whiz with mines of all kinds. Improvised explosives? If it could go bang, he could make it. If it _couldn't_ go bang, he could often _make_ it go bang."

"His favored weapon was a Salarian Scorpion." Anya said, her face taught in a grimace. "You know? The thing that shot sticky balls of high explosive?"

"Oh." Williams said with a frown. "Yeah, I have seen them used by STG on occassion. Wait a sec... How did he take cover? I mean... Volus are tiny..."

"He didn't. He hid _behind_ the cover." Crado said with a smirk. "Anyway, Anya, the message. He wanted you to have access to a fund he set up. You were not on the list, being marked as 'MIA presumed KIA' and all."

"What _kind_ of fund?" Anya asked suspiciously. "You _know_ how the Alliance feels about bribes, Crado. How I feel about them." She said sternly.

"It is not a bribe. It is a fund he set up for the team, Anya." Crado said with a placating gesture. "As a whole. He accounts for every credit, but he set it up to provide those of us who had nothing with a little something. I never took him up on it myself... I fell off the deep end." The Turian said sadly.

"You came back." Anya said with a smile that faded. "How big a fund are we talking about?" She asked cautiously. "I wouldn't want to overextend."

"Somehow I doubt that would be a problem." Crado said with a smirk. "That was where Raan'ita got the capital to buy this ship."

"_Buy it_? _A cruiser_?" Anya snapped. "From our demo specialist? No way!"

"Wait a sec...Tualo?" Williams said slowly. "Not Tualo Godas-clan?" She asked, her eyes going wide.

"Yeah, that was his name." Anya said with a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Anya..." Ashley spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. "Tualo Godas-clan is one of the richest people in Citadel space currently. He has more money than your father. Several times as much actually." Anya's eyes went wide at that. "He made his money legitimately. People have complained on occasion, and the Council has investigated. But he is not just legitimate, but scrupulously honest. As long as you are honest with him. If you are not..." The Spectre actually shuddered.

"He _did_ have a vindictive streak..." Anya said slowly. "His mate was killed by the Reapers in the ambush we rescued him from. He was always laughing when he blew them to pieces." The N7 shuddered as well.

"He hasn't _killed_ anyone that we know of." Williams said hastily at Anya's expression. "But ruining them? Taking _all_ of their money and leaving them to beg on the streets of Illium? THAT he _has_ done. He set up a fund?" She asked Crado.

"For team vets and their families." Crado agreed. "Many governments do not treat veterans well, and he was determined not to...um... well..." He broke off looking embarrassed.

"Crado?" Anya asked, suspicious. "What?"

"Not to dishonor the memory of his personal angel of mercy." Crado said with a grin. Anya looked at him and he grinned wider. "He actually said something about calling it the 'Goddess' fund..." Anya looked thunderous, but he shook his head. "But I think he just made the logo a Valkyrie. He gave you access. So the money is there if you need it."

"Crado..." Anya said slowly. "What would I _do_ with a lot of money? I don't have a social life like my sisters did -or want one-, and I never wanted to do anything but serve."

"I know." Crado said with a smile as he hugged her. "But it is _always_ good to have options. That is why he did this, to help _us_. And if _you_ ever need help, the option is there."

"I guess I should thank him." Anya mused. "it just... Tualo a multi-millionaire?" She asked incredulously.

"He was that _before_ the war, Anya." Williams said with a smile. "Add about six zeros." Anya's eyes went wide and she shuddered.

"If I find him in my shower again, I am shooting him." Anya said with a snort. "Money or no." She sighed. "Lets go. I already said goodbye to the others. At least Raan'ita took the cast off. And... I don't know if I would have the guts to face Jani again." Sher said with a grin as she moved her right arm.

"She _is_ a bit much." Williams said with a matching grin as the odd trio started walking. Even a cruiser wasn't _that_ big and they quickly came to the elevator leading to the hangar deck. "I have to go. Anya..." She hugged the other woman gently. "Take care. See you on the Citadel."

"Take care of yourself, Ashley." Anya said with a smile as she returned the friendly embrace. "I don't want to see your name on a list of statistics." Williams nodded, let Anya go and turned and walked away quickly. "Crado..." She said as she turned to her husband. "I..."

"We will see each other on the Citadel, Anya." Then he leaned close and whispered into her hear. "I have some new ideas I want to try. I think a certain wench will like them."

"Well..." Anya said with a smile. "I guess I have to wait and see. I bet a certain tyrant is not going to let me get away with anything, is he?" She asked coyly.

"Nope." Crado said as he took her in his arms and kissed her as she had taught him to so long ago. He released her reluctantly and smiled. His smile was sad, but proud. "Now get out of here before I start to cry and ruin my Macho soldier image. Hasta la vista, Anya Solinus." He said gently touching her cheek.

"Well..." Anya said with a sigh. "And if you start drinking again, I _will_ pull out the prune juice."

"Gah!" Crado said with a grimace. "You _sure_ know how to ruin a good dramatic romantic moment, Anya."

"Do I?" Anya asked with an arch look before grabbing her husband and doing her best to shock him. Then she reluctantly released him. "If I stay any longer, the shuttle crew will likely get annoyed." Crado seemed at a loss for words as she hugged him again, kissed his cheek and turned to hit the elevator button. She stepped in as the doors opened. As they closed again, she spoke softly, not turning so he could pretend to ignore the tears that were falling down her face. "Hasta la vista, Crado Solinus. Marido." She shook herself and wiped her face quickly. She wanted to be presentable.

When she arrived at the hangar bay, a uniformed human female stood by the shuttle hatch In appearance it was an old Kodiak.

"Captain Anya?" The woman asked quietly with a nod.

"The same." Anya nodded.

"I am Lieutenant Trilio. Sorry to rush you. We need to hurry, Captain." The woman said quietly. "We have a schedule to keep."

"No problem, lieutenant." Anya said with a smile. "That is the military for you." She said as she entered the shuttle. "Hurry up and..wait..." She paused. Something was wrong. Something about the shuttle was off. She couldn't define it. Nothing _looked_ out of place, but... Something was.

"Sit down, captain." The lieutenant waved Anya to a seat as she moved to the pilot's station. "We have clearance to leave. But I don't want to take any chances with our honored guest." Anya sat and then jerked as something stung her arm. She tried to speak, but suddenly her tongue didn't work right. Darkness was crowding in on her vision as an almost familiar voice sounded nearby.

"Get the mask on her! _Now_! The trank won't hold her for long! Pilot! Get us out of here and fly casual! We only have a few minutes at best before they realize we are _not_ the shuttle the Council sent. Damn her! She was never on time for _anything_!"

Anya screamed silently as the recognizable mask of a Cerberus Phantom appeared in her view, then something heavy settled over her nose and mouth. She heard a hiss. She was screaming even louder inside her head as everything went black.


	35. Chapter 35

**This chapter has some VERY disturbing pieces. Fanaticism is rarely a good thing, ESPECIALLY for families.**

* * *

**An indeterminate time later**

It was dark, cold. Then it was light and she was warm. There were blurry figures in green moving around her but when she blinked it was all gone. Everything hurt. Everything was cold. Everything was dark. She shivered a bit, conscious of air over bare skin. She tried to access her biotics, but her brain was fuzzy, she couldn't. She was a prisoner. A voice came to her ears.

"Good morning, Anya." It was voice Anya hadn't heard in almost twenty years, but she instantly recognized it. "I know you are awake, sister."

"Do you have _any_ idea how _dead_ you are, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes?" Anya asked calmly, aware that her wrists were strapped to the cold surface she was lying on. When she tried her ankles, they were likewise strapped down. "Really, kidnapping is low, even for _your_ family."

"_Our_ family, Anya." The voice of her next older sibling was calm, with just a trace of irritation. "You are my sister."

"Not anymore." Anya said with a sigh. She opened her eyes and was not surprised to find them covered. "And when did you start working for Cerberus?"

"it's not like that, sister." A small, shapely hand traced her cheek and Anya had to fight to keep from flinching. She took a snap with her teeth, but caught nothing but air. Melissa's voice was sharp now. "Don't fight, Anya. We don't _want_ to hurt you. Just relax and everything will be fine. We will take care of you."

"Sure..." Anya said with a snarl. "The way Cerberus takes care of everyone. Kill them, torture them, experiment on them, or just hurt them." She sighed after a moment. "That was Kia in the shuttle, right? She is a biotic?" Kia had been her eldest sister, an aloof, barely seen presence in her life. Now Anya could figure why.

"Anya..." The unseen woman sighed. "I am not here to discuss history with you. I just want to talk."

"No." Anya said sourly. "You want to do whatever evil your father and Henry Lawson dreamed up for me, probably at the behest of the Illusive Man." A soft sound of worry came from nearby and Anya smirked. "What? You didn't think I would figure it out? What did he want? A host mother or some kind of data repository?"

"Anya, just relax." The hand was stroking her forehead now. "You have had a hell of a shock. Your body will need time to adapt to it's new circumstances. I am here to help, sis. You were in surgery until a few minutes ago." Anya froze. "Anya, relax. It's all right. We removed it. You are clean. You are safe."

"Clean? Safe?" Anya snapped in a sarcastic tone although inside, she dreaded what the 'it' Melissa was talking about was. "In Cerberus custody? Strapped to a Cerberus lab table? Oh, Melissa, I am _shocked_. You _did_ grow a sense of humor."

"Anya, please be calm." The woman said quietly. "We _can_ drug you but it will slow what we need to do. We don't have a lot of time if we are to save the human race."

"Funny." Anya said with a smirk. "I always thought the human race needed to be saved _from_ Cerberus."

"Wow, Sis." The unseen woman said with a snort. "The Alliance really took your snarkiness and enhanced it, didn't they?"

"Not really." Anya admitted. "I found people who liked me for what I was, not what I _looked_ like. I found people I could trust. People I could help and who could let me help others. Not that I expect _any_ of _you_ to understand that. Cerberus..." She sighed. "I am _so_ not surprised. You all were likely Cerberus all along and I just never realized. So... When does the torture start?" She asked brightly.

"Anya, you need to be calm. You need to relax. Your body will recover quickly but you _do_ hurt." Melissa said, her tone worried. "I know you can be calm. Do you want to talk about Santiago? I know you liked it there." She asked kindly.

"I have good memories of Santiago." Anya agreed with a sigh. "Mainly watching it recede in the viewport of the Alliance shuttle I flew out on. You have _no_ idea who I am or what I am. You never did." Her tone was a mix of sad and resigned.

"You are Anya Wilson-Fuentes." Melissa said softly. "Although you go by just Anya now. You are my younger sister. You grew up in Santiago, Chile. You are the third of five children..."

"_Five?_" Anya snapped. "Madre de dios! _They didn't!_" She struggled with her bonds for a moment and then stopped. It was clear she couldn't break them and as fuzzy as her head was, she couldn't use her biotics. "Did they hurt her too when she was twelve?" Anya snapped. "Hypnotize her?" Ashley had been sure that whatever had happened to Anya hadn't been drugs, so it was most likely hypnosis.

"Anya, its is not what you think. Portia is nine, she is a good kid." Melissa was nearly begging. "Please, just hear me out. I _want_ to help you. Please..."

"No." Anya in a snide tone. "You want to _use_ me, and I am sure you will. It is what Cerberus _does_. You _use_ people, abuse people and then throw them away as cannon fodder. You are going to just _let_ them hurt me and your youngest sister. I understand. You are a pawn and a slave, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes. I am _not_."

"What you are is a _brat_." A harsh voice sounded a bit farther away. "An alien loving, stupid and sick brat." Anya managed to keep her expression the same as she recognized the hated voice.

"Well, well, well..." Anya said softly. "Karinlina Wilson-Fuentes. What a...displeasure. I had kind of _hoped_ the Reapers had gotten you." A gasp came from Melissa, but Anya was beyond caring. "But I know better. They would have taken one look at you and thrown you out with the rest of the garbage!" Her cheek suddenly stung and Anya laughed. "Is _that_ the best you can hit, bruja? I have had a _volus_ hit me harder than that!" Her cheek stung again and she laughed harder. "You know, you really need to work on that. I can give you some pointers. Hitting a defenseless _child_ is _very_ different from hitting a _soldier_, you _bit-_" _This_ time, the blow rocked her, slamming her head back into the table. But it felt good to say that.

"Mother! _No!_" Melissa said in fear. "We need her unhurt!"

"She needs to relearn her place." The woman who Anya had called 'mother' for eighteen years said with a snarl. "I will instruct her."

"Do you _really_ think there is _anything_ you of all people can teach me, Mrs. Wilson Fuentes?" Anya asked with an acid edge to her tone. "Unlike _some_, I fought the Reapers. I was out fighting while _you_ cowered in a hole!" Melissa gasped again. "Yes, I _know_ she and your father cowered in a hidey hole for the entire war, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes. Hiding. Or was that some long laid Cerberus plan?"

"You are still my daughter, Anya." The harsh voice said. "And my daughter needs some punishment. Turn her over."

"Mother, she is goading you, trying to get you to free her enough to escape." Melissa protested, but hands were holding her wrist and ankles as the straps around them were released. "We need her alive and undamaged." Anya struggled, but the hands held her as other hands rolled her onto her stomach and then her wrists and ankles were strapped down again.

"Oh, I won't damage her." The hate in the woman's voice was palpable. "Much. By the way, brat. That filthy half breed _thing_ is out of your belly."

"I figured." Anya would _not_ give this woman the satisfaction of hearing the pain that tore through her at that. "You always did like hurting the defenseless. Too cowardly to fight anyone who could fight back. I should have known. Typical Cerberus. All bluster when you are in a position of power, then run the hell away any time you face people who _could_ be a threat."

"Anya, that is not true." Melissa said sternly. "I _did_ fight, during the war. All of us did. Mother and father were command, not ground troops."

"I see." Anya said slowly. "Commanding from a bolt hole. Works, if you are gutless. Anderson never commanded from a hiding place. He _led_. Oh... And how many humans did you kill? How many families did you slay in their _sleep_ like any _good_ little Cerberus minions?" Pain erupted in her rear end but she kept her voice even. "You were not a biotic, so a Nemesis? How many children did you shoot in the head, Melissa?"

"None." Melissa sounded sick as whatever was hitting Anya's rear end kept doing it. "Cerberus doesn't do that."

"No?" Anya asked, then snarled but not in pain. In rage. "Tell that to the people on Benning. Were you there?" The rod -it had to be some kind of padded rod- was now working on her back. She ignored the pain. It was _far_ less than getting hit by a Brute or Ravager, let alone a Banshee.

"No." Melissas voice was small. "You were?"

"Yeah, I was there." Anya said calmly. "I saw the bodies all laid out neatly in rows where the troops had piled them. Humans, many of them kids. Executed and piled in rows. _By Cerberus_. " She said with a snarl. The pain was coming faster, but she still had no trouble ignoring it.

"They were rogue." Melissa said softly. "What they did was wrong."

"There were no children killed." The voice of the older woman was scornful. "Alliance propaganda."

"_I saw the bodies, you lying Cerberus slime!_" Anya snapped. "I helped _bury_ the bodies! I killed every single Cerberus troop I saw after that. I only wish _you_ had had the guts to be in the field facing me, you witch! I would have flayed you alive, _gladly_. But no, you cowered while _real_ soldiers fought and bled and _died_ so that people like _you_ could play terrorist to get what you want."

"I am your _mother_, Anya." The woman snapped. A hand slapped the back of her head, sending Anya's face into the metal of the table. She felt wetness seeping from her forehead, but ignored it. "You _will_ show respect!"

"To you? My mother was a test tube!" Anya snapped. "Your masters _made_ me in a beaker! You are nothing but a host. Nothing more. A _vorcha_ has more maternal instinct that you _ever_ will. You never _were_ my mother. Nanny Sara was far more mother-like that you could _ever_ have been! And she died, so that _you_ could _run the hell away_." That had hurt, when Ashley had found that information just before the shuttle had come for Anya. That the staff in Santiago had been left behind as 'non-essential' when the Wilson-Fuentes clan had fled. Luckily, Anya had been granted enough time to recover before the shuttle had come for her.

"You... Dare..." The woman said softly, a dangerous tone. "I will show you..."

"M_other! No!_" Melissa shouted. Anya had a second to brace herself and then sticky things touched her on the back and side. She braced herself, determined not to cry out as electricity screamed through her body. She convulsed, but managed to keep her mouth locked shut throughout the worst of it. "Anya...?" Melissa asked, her tone scared, when the pain faded.

"That was supposed to hurt? You have never been hit by a Banshee, you weak foolish bruja." Anya said with just the _right_ trace of insouciance. She laughed. "Gives a whole new _definition_ to the word 'pain'."

"I am going to make you scream, brat." The woman who had borne her into the world said with a sinister laugh. "We shall see who is laughing when I am done." Something sizzled nearby but Anya just sighed.

"I am sure you can. Given enough time and effort, _anyone_ can be broken." Anya said softly. "But...um... here is a hint, you silly, _stupid_ woman. Screams are not weakness. _Tears_ are not weakness. Hurting defenseless people, _that_ is weakness. _You_ are weak." Something hot plunged into her upper right arm and she just grunted a little before speaking in a scornful tone again. "I rest my case. Is _that_ the deepest you can shove it? Wimpy. A half dead husk could have done that better." She commented. Whatever was in her arm twisted, but then suddenly it withdrew. The sound of a slap echoed in the room, but it wasn't Anya that was hit.

"Idiot woman." Anya felt her guts freeze at the cold disdain in her father's voice. "We need the subject's body intact enough to make the machine work. Melissa, clean her up, get her wounds tended, and get her ready for implantation."

"Yes Father." Melissa's voice was calm again. The sound of a struggle and the frantic muffled pleas came and then cut off with the sound of a door closing. "Goading her was a bad idea, Anya..." Melissa said sadly as the sound of an omni tool was heard and soothing numbness swept across Anya's rear end, back and arm. She barely felt a sting in her other arm. "I am sorry Anya... I want to help you and you won't let me."

"I am going to quote Shepard." Anya said softly as the drugs swept her into soothing darkness. "I don't work for Cerberus."

"You will when you wake up, Anya. You won't have a choice. I wanted to give you the choice, but... You are you." The hand that gently ran under her chin to tend her bleeding face was gentle. "And you know what? I am glad. I have _missed_ you, little sister." Melissa's voice was sad and the pain in it had Anya pause at the edge of sleep.

"I never wanted to hurt you, or Kia or even Jenni." Anya slurred. "I just...didn't fit..."

"You will." Melissa promised her and a gentle hand stroked her cheek. This time, Anya did not react. "And it isn't bad, Anya. We are not evil..."

"The evil rarely see themselves as such." Anya mused as she felt everything start to spin gently. "But...For what it is worth... I missed you too... Melissa..." Then she was asleep.

* * *

**Any you think YOUR family is dysfunctional at times? **


	36. Chapter 36

This time when Anya woke, she was lying in a real bed. She cracked her eyes and blinked when they worked. She looked around and froze on seeing the female form in familiar white, black and orange armor sitting beside her bed. Except for the mask, the woman was garbed as a Cerberus Phantom, complete with sword sheathed on her back. But the face...

"Good morning, Anya." The eldest of her siblings said with a sad smile. Her brown hair was cut very short to fit easily under the helmet and her hazel eyes were sad as she looked at her bedridden sister.

"Kai." Anya said slowly. "You are my minder?" She looked at herself, she was wearing a hospital gown and... She paused. Why hadn't they taken that smart diaper thing off her? She decided not to ask.

"Yes." Kai said with a sigh. "And before you try _anything_ dumb..." Anya tensed by Kia just sat there. 'You have an new implant inside your skull." Anya's hands shot to her head and it was bandaged. Kai nodded. "It's experimental tech, but it works. As long as you cooperate, your voluntary muscles will remain under your control. Step out of line and you get zapped."

"I bet your mother will _really_ enjoy doing that." Anya said sourly. "It sounds right up her alley. Hurting people."

"_Our_ mother is busy, Anya." Kai said in mild reproof. "Goading her was dumb." The elder woman said with a frown.

"She is _not_ my mother. She kills me, and you lose." Anya said with a shrug. "Pain and I are old friends."

"I know. Ah, Anya..." Kai said, her face falling, Anya stared at her, this was new. Kai had always been a stern, distant sibling. "I am sorry."

"For? Wait... Your eyes are not glowing...?" Anya said in wonder. "Was I your prisoner when the pulse hit?"

"No." Kia said softly. "But you _were_ shielded from it, like we were."

"So..." Anya said slowly. "There is more than one place that the pulse didn't hit. Good to know." She was coiling her body, working up her meager strength. She knew she would likely only get one chance.

"Anya..." Kia sighed with a shrug. "You are going to try. Okay... Here..." She turned her back and leaned close to the bedridden soldier, leaving the hilt of her sword well within reach. "Take it."

"What?" Anya said, recoiling a little. "What kind of a trick...?"

"Take it, Anya." Kai said gently. "Take it, try to use it, on me or yourself. See what happens."

"It will hurt me if I do, right?" Anya asked, her eyes narrowing. "Some kind of trap?"

"No." Kai said with a shake of her head. "But you won't believe until you have it happen. I know I didn't."

"What?" Anya asked suspiciously. "This happened to _you_?" She demanded.

"And Melissa..." Kai said with a sigh. "And Jenni, although Jenni..." She sighed. "Jenni was a mess before it happened and she is more of a mess now."

"She was a jerk." Anya said with a scowl. "She thoroughly _enjoyed_ hurting me."

"She was the _youngest_, Anya." Kai said sternly. "Were _you_ wise at 15?" She asked, turning her head back to look at Anya. Anya took advantage of Kai's momentary distraction to slam the edge of her hand into the sensitive nerve cluster behind the Phantom's ear. An instant kill spot IF she could connect. She did. Or, she tried. As she connected, _something_ roared through her. It didn't hurt though. Far from it.

On one level, Anya was aware of screaming. She was aware of her throat aching, her lungs flaring as air left them in vast, unending waves. But on every other level, she was submerged in the raw ecstasy that soaked through every pore and nerve. Then she slammed herself back to the bed, pounding her head into the yielding substance of the pillow as she tried to break free of the feelings. Word came and she focused on them.

"Anya..." Kai's voice was stern. "Breathe. Now." Her cheek stung and she gasped, air suddenly pouring into lungs that she hadn't even realized had been starved for it. "That's it..." Kai crooned. "That's it, sis. Breathe..." After a few moments a gentle hand rubbed her shoulder. "Easy, Anya... Easy... It's a shock, I know."

"You..." Anya shook herself and called on her training. It was remarkably hard, harder than she ever remembered it being. "You wired the pleasure centers of my brain..." Talking helped. Focusing on _anything_ other than the still racing feelings helped.

"Not me." Kai said sadly. "I am no surgeon. But...yes. They did. Pain never made you do anything but dig your heels in harder." Kai's voice was resigned now. "Every time mom beat you, it just made you _more_ determined to have your own way. You are one stubborn cuss."

"They did this to you?" Anya asked, horrified as she fought the feelings back. "Melissa? Jenni?"

"Yes." Kia said sadly. Anya cracked her eyes and found her sister sitting on the bed beside her. Kai looked at her and then a tear fell from the armored woman's eye. "Anya... I am sorry...I want to ease you and I can't."

"Don't..." Anya said slowly. "I still love you and Melissa and even Jenni. Your parents... Not so much. Don't get in trouble for me, Kai. You can't help me." She said flatly. "I won't help them. They will have to kill me."

"No." Now Kai was crying in earnest. "No they won't. The implant isn't _just_ for punishment. Anya, sit up." Anya stiffened and then her face went slack as her body obeyed Kia's command without Anya's direction.

"_What the?_" Anya snapped.

"Move to stand." Kai said as she swiped her face, drying her eyes. "We need to get you to the lab." Anya struggled, but her body obeyed Kai's commands, sliding her legs off the bed as Kai moved to let her. "Stand up."

"What have you _done_ to me?" Anya screamed as her body rose to a standing position.

"A control chip." Kai said sadly. "It interfaces with your spine, allows for total control of your body. It is not perfect. If we use it too much it will cause irreparable brain damage. But Father insisted."

"You have one too?" Anya asked, then sighed. "Never mind, of course you do. Your mother and father are _nothing_ if not thorough in needing to control everything. Why can I speak?"

"Because I want to talk to my little sister who I have not seen in years." Kai said with a snarl as she walked to one side of the room. Anya could look around a little and it was a standard hospital room, bare except for the bed and the chair Kai had been sitting in. Kai pulled a concealed closet open and rolled a wheelchair out. It had straps on the arm and foot rests. "Are you going to make me command you?" Anya hung her head.

"No." Anya said slowly and remained still as Kai wheeled the chair over. "I won't cooperate, Kai. You have me at a significant disadvantage at the moment, but I _will_ find a way to deny you your prize." Kai waved to her and she sat. The straps clicked shut on their own.

"Not my prize." Kia said soberly as she checked the straps. "And we are going to be _very_ careful with you. We do not want to lose you again. You won't be able to activate any biotics. Between the implants and the drugs, you won't be able to." She sighed as she moved behind the chair. "You know...? I dreamed of this moment. Meeting you again. It... This isn't what I planned."

"In battle or talking?" Anya asked, curious despite herself. She didn't try the straps. Just looking at them, they were well beyond her ability to break. "And why are you sorry? You won, I lost." She said bitterly.

"Not about that." Kai said as she rolled the chair toward the door. It hissed open, showing two armed and ready Cerberus troops outside. Her eyes narrowed as she saw that both wore Dragoon armor, but both nodded to Kai and relaxed as she passed them. Anya noted they fell into line behind the chair as it rolled. A guard detail. "I would have liked to talk to you over drinks. Maybe when this is over..." She shook her head. "_If_ we both survive."

"That sounds...dire." Anya said mildly. "Do I want to know?"

"We were all created for a specific purpose, Anya." Kai said with a small, barely noticeable shiver. "It didn't seem plausible to me when it was first explained to me and it _barely_ seems plausible now. But I have my orders."

"I will _not_ help Cerberus, Kai." Anya said softly. "Not after what I saw."

"You told Melissa you were on Benning." Kai said softly. "Was it as bad as the reports?" Her tone was kind.

"Worse." Anya said softly. "They took all the adults they could snatch to turn into cannon fodder. Then they had to do something with the kids. They rounded up all the underage citizens they could find and...slaughtered them. Penned them up and gunned them down. We had been moving in slowly, carefully. We hadn't expected... No one had. We hit them seconds later, too late for most of the kids. I doubt it was your cell, but it _was_ Cerberus." She said with hate coloring her tone.

"Yes." Kai said slowly. "It was. A rogue faction. We were one of several cells mobilizing to 'deal' with them when Shepard dealt with them in her own, unique fashion."

"And the next time?" Anya asked coldly. "The time after that? And the time after _that_?" Kia paused in her moving, staring at her sister. "it was almost like clockwork, the attacks came so often." She jerked her head at the two guards behind Kai. "I go _so_ sick of seeing Cerberus armor. We were posted to the capital and it seemed every _day_ there was a Cerberus attack _somewhere_ on Benning."

"Anya..." Kai said slowly. "I don't know. You know how it is. If I didn't have 'need to now' I didn't. and don't." One of the guards made a small gesture. Kai sighed and nodded.

"Were you tracking me?" Anya asked as Kai started off again. "I saw a _lot_ of Cerberus troops. Killed a lot too." She said offhand.

"Not that I know of." Kai said, her tone worried. "But then again, I don't know a lot. They told me to go places and do jobs. I did."

"Kai." Anya asked. "Did they tell you to kill children?"

"No." Kai said, not pausing again. "I had to make some tough decision, but I never took my sword to kids, Anya. I... I don't know if I could have."

"I don't know if I believe you." Anya mused. "I saw a Phantom take a child's head off once. The girl was running away. She couldn't have been more than...ten? Eleven?" Anya said with a sigh. "She got a little in the Phantom's way and the witch took the kid's head off and kept right on coming. It wasn't _needed_." Anya said with a snarl. "That girl was _no_ threat. I bet that ninja witch just enjoyed it."

"I doubt it." Kai said softly. "Anya. You have to understand. Most Phantoms, myself and a few others excluded, were Indoctrinated. They _could not_ disobey whatever orders they were given. Free thinking, or deviance from orders was _not_ encouraged. Indeed, it was punished, sometimes very harshly. If that Phantom had _any_ of her mind left intact, she regretted what she did."

"Maybe. Not that I let her live long after that." Anya said sadly. "I don't know." She looked up as the chair wheeled towards a door marked 'Lab'. "Ah, my destiny awaits?" She asked snidely.

"Be nice, Anya." Kai said sternly. "She has suffered more than _any_ of us."

"Oh." Anya said softly as the door whisked open and a slightly younger brown haired woman in surgical scrubs stood there, an irate expression on her face. "Hello Jennifer."


	37. Chapter 37

"Get her on the table." Anya's younger sister said with a snap. "You took long enough."

"She had to experience the pulse, Jenni." Kai said mildly. "Just like all of us, she wasn't going to take our words for it. Not that she would anyway." She moved the chair into the lab and Anya stiffened on seeing the table that sat in the middle of it. Restraints showed all over it as well as sinister looking apparatus all around. "Don't move yet, Anya." Kai cautioned as she stopped the chair. Both guards followed the chair in and drew their weapons.

One held a Hornet Submachine gun, Anya noticed. Not _that_ great in the weapons department, but easy to come by, and standard issue for Cerberus. The other... She blinked and remained _very_ still when the Talon pistol swung to cover her. At this range, the weapon likely wouldn't _just_ tear through her unarmored and unshielded body, but would likely mess up Kai as well.

"Hurry up!" Jennifer snapped. "We are on short time."

"Got a hot date?" Anya asked as Kai unstrapped her carefully and then stepped back. "I am not going to put you in danger Kia. What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Get up and lie down on the table." Kai said gently. "It's padded and set to your dimensions so it _should_ be fairly comfortable."

"Great place to get my mind destroyed, huh?" Anya asked as she did as instructed, her movements slow and precise. She sat on the table's edge and then swung her legs up. As Kai had said, the table was padded. She held her arms and legs to be strapped down and waited. Kai looked at her and Anya sighed. "Just do it."

"Right." Kai said with a shrug as she stepped close. The pistol and SMG never pointed away from Anya as she lay quiet. As soon as Kai had the wrist and ankle straps in place, she turned and snapped at the guards. "Put those _away_. If she _does_ get loose, the _last_ thing we need is are unsecured weapons." The guards looked at each other, shrugged and did as instructed.

"Go on, Kai." Jenni said diffidently as she stepped close. "I have this." She bent over Anya, tightening other straps. In moments, Anya could not move at all.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked gently. Jenni just looked at her and Kai sighed. "Okay. Call if you need me, for anything." A gentle hand caressed Jenni's shoulder but the other woman did not react. Kai slumped a bit and turned to Anya. "Don't fight it, Anya, _please_?" She begged. Anya did not react either and Kai left the room, shaking her head sadly. Anya did not react as Jenni stepped to the equipment and then turned to the guards.

"I know you are ordered to be here, to guard her." Jenni said in a snide voice. "But she cannot escape. Step outside."

"Our orders are clear, Ma'am." The guard with the SMG said calmly. "She is _not_ to be unescorted at any time."

"Do you _really_ want to argue with me, trooper?" Jenni asked in a calm, but menacing tone. "I am a _riot_ of emotion at the moment, I could _use_ some stress relief." Anya stared as both guards shuddered. "Get out, you will throw off the scans. And if you _do_, we will have to start all over again from the beginning!" Her face lit in what someone charitable _might_ have called a smile. "And if _that_ happens, I will need some _serious_ stress relief. You offering?" Both guards stared at each other again and hastily left the room. Jenni sighed and sat at a chair in front of a group of terminals.

"Jenni..." Anya said softly.

"Shut up." Jennifer said calmly. "Speaking will throw the scans off too." An odd mechanical hood lowered down from the ceiling to cover the top of Anya's head. A mechanical arm extended from the side and the mask attached to it covered Anya's nose and mouth.

"I have to say this." Anya said, her voice muffled by the mask.

"What part of 'Shut up' do you _not_ understand?" Jenni asked caustically. "I am introducing a marker gas into your bloodstream. It will help the scans. Breathe evenly or I will sedate you."

"I may not have time, I have to say this now. I am sorry, Jenni." Anya said slowly. Jenni jerked in place, but did not speak and Anya spoke again. "I was young and stupid, scared and clueless. I had _no idea_ what was happening. I had no right to say what I did, do what I did. I didn't _want_ to hurt you. I didn't understand."

"We were both young and stupid." Jenni said in an undertone. Then she scowled and snarled at Anya. "_Shut up_."

"I deserve your hate, Jenni." Anya said sadly. "I deserve your rage. I just had to... I had to apologize for what I said, what I called you. It wasn't _your_ fault."

"Yes it was." Jenni said softly. Then she rose quickly, slamming her chair back. Her face was flushed and her tone was angry now. "I am _going_ to sedate you, you stupid cow."

"I had no right." Anya said sadly as Jenni approached. "It wasn't _your_ fault you were attracted to me. I had _no_ idea what to do when someone called me 'beautiful'. " Anya said, tears falling. "I had _no_ idea what to do... when you touched me... I had no idea..."

"I was sick." Jenni said in a low tone as she checked an injector. "I got better."

"You were _15_!" Anya snapped. "You were not sick, you were attracted to me! You were confused. Hell, so was I! Mi hermana..."

"Shut..." Jenni came close, the hypo glinting ominously in her hand. "Up..."

"I am to blame." Anya said as she relaxed as best she could. "Not you. That is all I had to say." She clamped her mouth shut as Jenni prepared the injection. She did not dare breathe as Jenni leaned close.

"It's saline." Jenni said in a _very_ soft voice directly into Anya's ear. "Look scared. I know you can. When it hits you look sleepy." Anya was confused, but decided to play along.

"Jenni, I am sorry!" Anya said, trying with all her might to appear terrified. "Jenni _no!_" She cried as the other woman brandished the hypo and slammed it into Anya's arm hard enough to bruise. It hissed, but, like Jenni said, nothing happened. Her head remained clear.

"That will keep you quiet." Jenni snapped in an aggrieved tone. "Now just lie there while I get these scans done." She straightened and stalked back to her terminal. She spun in place as the door hissed open and Anya stared through slitted eyes as two new guards came in. "Yes?" Jenni demanded.

"It's done. Camera is offline." The one on the left said quietly. "We have five minutes." Anya stiffened. Did she know that voice?

"Not enough time." Jenni said with a sigh. "Darn it. Any chance?"

"No." The other guard said. "The hangar is locked down tight. Escape pods likewise. I'm sorry, Jenni, we tried. But there is no way, not carrying her. And she is _not_ going to be able to run."

"No one could do more, Chris." Jenni said sadly.

"_Chris?_" Anya asked, then clamped her mouth shut.

"You never _did_ take orders well, sis." Jenni said in a _very_ different tone. She smiled at Anya's confused expression. "We were going to _try_ and get you out of here, but dear old dad seems to have locked the place up tight." She concluded sourly. "I sent a call for backup, but he route is roundabout, I have _no_ idea when, or if it will be acted on." Anya stared at her and then at the closest armored form,her eyes narrowing.

"Hiya Anya. Long time." The man who had spoken last said as he hit a control and his helmet visor rose. Indeed, the face was one Anya knew. He grinned. "You look like you have seen a ghost, Captain."

Anya stared at the man. She hadn't trusted him, not by a long shot, when Alliance HQ had sent him and Vincent to work with her. But they had both shown their dedication and courage any number of times. So what if they _had_ worked for Cerberus. They had realized what was going on before being indoctrinated and escaped with a number of others. They had surrendered to the Alliance and been interrogated before being sent out to do battle with the Reapers. In the darkest corners of her mind, Anya wondered if the Alliance had _planned_ on throwing the Cerberus defectors away. But Chris and Vincent had worked three times as hard as Anya herself. They had wanted to prove to themselves, their team and Alliance HQ that they _did_ know what they had done and wanted to make amends. They had, but...

"You died." Anya said slowly. "In that raid on Sur'Kesh. You died!" She snapped. "And Vincent too." She looked at the other and he raised _his_ helmet visor as well. Vincent was smiling gently as well. "Your bodies were unrecoverable. We mourned you!"

"Deep cover insertion." Jenni said with a sigh. "To make contact with me, to help me, keep me out of trouble." Anya's eyes went VERY wide at that and Jenni smirked. "Really, sis. _Did_ you _really_ think you were the _only_ member of the family to go off the reservation? I got a commendation from dear old dad for finding and rescuing two wounded Dragoons during an Alliance sweep on Sur'Kesh. Last time I was in the field actually. I got banged up pretty good on that op, had to stop doing field work."

"You..." Anya spoke slowly. "You work for..."

"Alliance Intelligence." Jenni said with a smile. "But... we are _really_ on short time. _Any_ chance of another message?" She asked Vincent who shook his head.

"No." The man that Anya now remembered was a Vanguard type said softly. "Com room is on full lockdown too. Makes you wonder _what_ they expect to hit this place."

"If the Alliance had a clue what was going on, a freaking avalanche." Jenni said with a scowl. "I don't know what you have guessed, Anya..."

"I am a key of some kind, right?" Anya asked.

"Indeed." Jenni said with a shudder. "Dad worked for decades, trying to unlock human biotic potential. At first, we -Intel that is- just thought it was unethical genetics experiments, but now... We know it was more. Have you ever heard anything of a "project Nimue'?"

"Not really." Anya said dubiously. "Just the name."

"In mythology, Nimue was the name of the Lady of the Lake." Jenni said. "She gave the sword Excalibur to King Arthur. Our father found and ancient schematic and deciphered it. He is trying to create the ultimate control mechanism. Cerberus got involved and you know some of the rest. To make the machine work, they needed someone with the proper genetic structure. They couldn't _find_ anyone, so they made them. Five of us now." Anya nodded with her eyes. "They _planned_ to use it on the Geth, but then the Reapers hit and all hell broke loose. The Illusive Man wanted results, so mom and dad tried to use _me_ to control a Reaper Destroyer, it didn't work. I couldn't do what had to be done. You can."

"So... why me?" Anya asked, dazed. "I am powerful, but... I am no sword or whatever."

"Anya..." Jenni's voice was _very_ kind now. "She _gave_ the sword to Arthur. The idea is, you can channel the control machine's power. Channel it like you channeled your biotics. You heal faster than any of us. You _can_ survive the machine. I was in it for two minutes and it very nearly killed me."

"Jenni...?" Anya asked when her sister stopped talking. "Can you kill me?"

"I don't think so, Anya." Jenni said sadly. "They are watching too close and anything I _can_ do can be countered quickly. If I shoot you, they will hook the chip that I have disabled back up and use your body." Anya tried to shake her head, but it was strapped down. Jenni shook her head. "No time, I need to go yell at some people. Chris, Vincent, get into position for plan 'G'." Anya stared at her sister. 'G'. Alliance military lexicon for 'Gone to Hell'. "Wait... I _can_ slow it a bit... Anya, do you trust me?"

"Jenni...I..." Anya shuddered a little. "Do I have a choice?"

"Storm we fight." Chris said as he turned toward the door. Anya stared at him. That had been the team mantra during the war.

"Storm we fly." Vincent spoke next.

"Storm we live." Jenni said with a sad smile at Anya.

"Storm we die." Anya concluded the team mantra sadly. "What do I do?"

"Cameras will come online in one minute, six seconds." Jenni said softly as she rose and walked towards Anya. "I will unstrap your arm to run an IV. When I do, grab my gun. Take me hostage."

"T_his_ is your plan?" Anya asked, incredulous, as Jenni stepped close. She shut up as Jenni snarled at her.

"Shut up!" Jenni snapped. The camera over the door started whirring again, Anya hadn't noticed it hadn't been moving until now. "Guards, watch her, I am going to run an IV."

"Is there a problem, doctor?" A male voice from the intercom asked. "We lost camera feed."

"How many times have I told you to _fix_ that _bloody_ thing?" Jenni snapped. "The patient could have run amuck, heck, we could have had a screaming _orgy_ in here and _no one_ would have noticed! Five minutes I have been _trying_ to get that fracking camera online, since none of _you_ can be trusted to do it! Then the fraking sedative wore off and she won't stop blabbing!" Anya had to smile, glad that the mask hid her mouth. Jenni hadn't changed _that_ much.

"Doctor..." The male voice said in a long suffering tone.

"Oh _shut up_!" Jenni snapped. "The scans are almost done. I did warn _all_ of you about the potential for overload on her implants. After this is done, she is _your_ problem. Then this arrogant little witch will _finally_ earn her keep." She leaned over Anya, hand out of sight of the camera and undid Anya's arm restraint. As soon as she did, Anya jerked her hand free of Jenni's loose grip and grabbed for Jenni's gun. Jennia batted at Anya's hand, but the blow was minimal. "_No!_" Jenni screamed as Anya's hand came up with the Predator which immediately pressed against Jenni's head.

"Move and I pull the trigger!" Anya snapped as the guards froze in place. "You, _sister_..." She snapped the word 'sister' out with venom. "Undo the straps!"

"Shoot her somewhere non-lethal!" Jenni snarled. "Stupid..."

"You hush!" Anya said with a sneer. "Well?" She asked the guards who _both_ had their guns out. "What is it going to be?"

"Release her, Anya." Anya's guts turned to ice at the cold voice of her birth father but her body did not react. Indeed, she gripped Jenni tighter. "Why isn't she obeying?" He asked with a snarl of impatience.

"The scan..." Jennifer said with a matching snarl. "Damn it! I _warned_ you it might interfere with the chip!"

"Don't move." Anya snapped as Jenni struggled. "I may not be fully recovered, but I _do_ have enough strength to pull a trigger." Jenni froze.

"Let her up, Jennifer." The patriarch of the Wilson-Fuentes clan stated coldly. "She has nowhere to go and I still need your expertise, Jenni. You are going nowhere, Anya."

"We will see about that." Anya said as Jenni started undoing the other straps.


	38. Chapter 38

As soon as Anya's limbs were released from the straps, she pulled Jenni close and rolled into a sitting position.

"Ow!" Jenni complained. "Not so _hard_, you heartless Alliance witch!"

"Heartless?" Anya asked coldly. "That is rich coming from a Cerberus stooge. Get over here!" She turned the struggling doctor so that the woman's body was between her and the two guards who hadn't moved. "Well, guys?" Anya asked in a sickly sweet tone. "Now what?"

"You are going nowhere Anya." Her sire's voice came from the intercom again. "Let her go and it will be a _lot_ less painful."

"Ah, so your wife won't be involved?" Anya asked sourly. "Right. And I should trust that _this_ time you will not lie. Sure." She said sarcastically. "Lying is what Cerberus _does_. And since _when_ do you give a flying rat's behind about Humanity anyway? All you _ever_ cared about was money and power."

"That is not true, Anya." The voice of the man who had sired her said calmly. "it was always for humanity."

"Ah, and the fact that you made oodles and oodles of cash off the misfortune of others was immaterial." Anya said, musing. "After all, the end _always_ justifies the means as long as _you_ get what _you_ want. Right, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes?"

"I am still your father, Anya." He said heavily. "Nothing you say can change that."

"The courts say otherwise, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes. My name is Anya Solinus and _nothing_ you _or_ your idiotic mate can do can change that." Anya said with a smile that faded. "Of course, since you are Cerberus, I guess no laws actually _matter_ to you, do they? Ethics don't mean a thing to you, so why should laws?"

"Stand down, Anya." The man said slowly. "This is the last time I will ask."

"Well, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes,..." Anya said slowly. "Why don't you-" She let loose a stream of harsh Spanish profanities that had Jenni actually blanch. Finally she wound down and he sighed.

"Are you done?" He asked. "You are _not_ leaving that room."

"I know." Anya said with a smirk. "But then again, you need me, don't you? Otherwise your goons would have shot already. I wonder. Do you need me hale or even alive?" She changed the angle of the pistol slightly and Jenni whimpered a little as it bit into the back of her head.

"Anya..." Jenni said slowly. "Don't do anything rash..."

"Rash?" Any asked slowly. "Rash like trying to control a Reaper or all of them?" She demanded. A hiss of breath came from the intercom and Anya laughed sourly. "Did you _really_ think I wouldn't figure it out? You need me alive and conscious to handle the power flow, don't you?" She asked. "Don't you?" She demanded as she dug the barrel of the gun deeper into Jenni's head.

"Yes we do." Her father said softly. "Preferably. But we _can_ use you in any form. A control chip in a mindless vegetable will work IF she has the proper genetics, which you have. I would _prefer_ to keep you alive and sane to 'reeducate' you in family values."

"_Family values?_" Anya asked incredulously. "_What_ values? Oh..." She corrected herself. "Screw anyone and everyone, _including_ your children, to get what you want? _Those_ kind of values? Don't even try pal. You want me to bear young for your own dynasty or something."

"I don't have time to debate with you, Anya." Her father said sourly. "Stand down or I _will_ order the guards to put you down. Jenni will likely survive a shot or two."

"Spoken as someone who has never been shot." Anya said as Jenni whimpered a little more. "You really don't have a clue, do you?" She asked rhetorically. "Ah well..." She gave Jenni a hard shove towards the guards at the door and ducked behind the table as the two men aimed at her. "Take her." Anya snapped. "I have enough death on my conscience, I don't _need_ any more due to _you_, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes Cerberus minion master."

"I am your father, Anya." He said sternly. "Drop the gun."

"No." Anya replied, looking at the guards who had now moved Jenni behind their armored bulks. She knew Chris and Vincent wouldn't let Jenni get hurt. "I cannot escape, and if I let you take me, you win. I cannot allow that. Goodbye Pedro Wilson-Fuentes. May whatever hell you wind up in be eternal and filled with pain." She sank down to the floor and nestled the barrel of the gun in the hollow behind her ear. Then she started to take up slack on the trigger.

"_Stop her!_" Her father commanded and she could her the more guards approaching, so she took up more slack. Any second and...

Wait a sec? Why was she on the floor. And why was Jenni bending over her, tears falling? She couldn't move. Her body wasn't working right.

"You _idiot!_" Jenni snapped. "What were you _thinking?_" Jenni wasn't talking to her, Anya realized. There were at least four guards in Cerberus armor around her now.

"I pulled her gun." One of the guards said defensively. "It stopped her."

"You didn't grab her gun with that Lash, moron." Jenni said as she worked. "You wrapped it around her _neck!_ Then you threw her into the _ceiling._" Jenni snapped. Anya felt fear rising. Was she paralyzed? "I need a backboard and a full trauma kit here. Now!" She called. Then Jenni leaned close and spoke. "I have a paralytic in. Don't try to fight it." She said softly in Anya's ear. "I will try to do _something_, I have _no_ idea what. Be strong sis, I will do what I can."

"Jenni?" Kai shouldered her way past the guards, her expression scary. "You okay?"

"I am fine." Jenni said with a snarl at the guards who stiffened again. "_She_ is a mess. Possible cervical fracture. Immobilize her. I have a paralytic in. If she can, she _will_ fight. Don't give her the chance. She will hurt herself worse."

"I won't." Kai said as Jenni and a pair of med techs rolled Anya carefully onto the backboard before setting her down and quickly immobilizing her body. "Dad wants her. Now. We are out of time."

"Kai..." Jenni said, her face hopeless.

"Don't start, Jenni." Kai said in warning. "Dad is already angry. He wants to find out what she remembers of the bugs. They are definitely a threat. We can do it in the machine room. Take her there." Kai said to the techs who nodded and lifted the backboard easily. "Go to medical, Jenni. Get Melissa to check you out."

"Kai...I..." Jenni said softly, but then she broke off and nodded. "Okay. Keep me informed?" She asked forlornly as she rose. Then there was the sound of a fist striking armor, then a soft sobbing. MALE sobbing. "And... Keep this... IDIOT away from her! He has done ENOUGH damage!"

"I will." Kai said as she followed the backboard out. Anya stared at the ceiling, trying to memorize the route, but her eyes kept being pulled to Kai's anxious face. Kai saw her look and snarled at her. "That was _dumb_, Anya. Even for _you_."

"So?" Anya managed to grate the word out. "Won't cooperate."

"Well..." Kai said sadly. "Now you have no choice." A door opened ahead of them and Anya heard machinery. "Put her on the table. We will strap her down on the board." Kai left Anya's field of view and she felt the board being set on something. Then straps were being tightened over her body. "This won't hurt, Anya." Kai said gently as Anya's head was strapped down. "But it _will_ feel very strange."

"Quit coddling her." The voice of their father came and his sour countenance appeared in Anya's field of view. "Are you _quite_ done being a stupid child, Anya Wilson-Fuentes?" Instead of answering, Anya spit. The globule of saliva hit her father in the face and his look of disbelief was priceless.

"Won't..." Anya managed to gasp out. "Help. You."

"You are unbelievable. We don't need you any more, Kai." Her sister nodded and turned to go as Anya's father wiped his face slowly. "Medic. Start the scan."

"Sir." The med tech said and lowered an odd looking device towards Anya's head. She tried to struggle, but her body wasn't reacting. The med tech spoke soothing. "It won't hurt, Ma'am. We are just going to access your recording implant."

"Day I trust Cerberus..." Anya said sourly. "Is the day _he_ actually cares about his family..." She flicked her eyes at her father and he stared at her. "After all, we are just assets, right?" She asked sourly as the device came down to the side of her head and a cold something entered her right ear. "Manufactured goods to get you what you want. Commodities to be bought and sold. What _did_ you really offer Henry Lawson anyway? A host mother for his 'legacy'? Or just money?"

"What do _you_ know of Henry Lawson?" Her father asked cautiously. "_Or_ his legacy?"

"I know he is dead." Anya said with a smile. "But not forgotten."

"Miranda Lawson got to you." The man said heavily. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing I didn't know." Anya said sourly then she gasped as _another_ cold thing entered her _other_ ear. "Cerberus are scum. Always have been, always will be. Maybe it _started_ as a shield for humanity. But the best laid plans of imbeciles and idiots..." She gasped again as something cold touched the back of head where it connected to her neck.

"That is not what Cerberus is at all, Anya." Anya stared as her father's face suddenly turned sad. "It _is_ humanity's shield. It's _only_ defense. Especially now with so many threats seeping in. Anya, we have to protect humanity."

"By taking _control?_" Anya asked sourly. "By taking _free will_ away from everyone? Right..." She said with a shudder. "You take the choice away from anyone and suddenly _ no one_ has one. But you don't understand that. Never mind, rape my mind. I can't stop you." She said sadly. "But someone will, eventually."

"It won't hurt, Anya." The man promised, seeming in earnest. "Let's see..."

"Sir?" The med tech said softly. "We should intubate if she is going straight from here to the machine." The older man nodded and the tech leaned close to Anya. "Ma'am."

"It's not like I can stop you." Anya said sourly. "Just _do_ it already."

"If you struggle it _will_ hurt." The med tech said gently. "If you don't, it won't."

"Don't _try_ to pretend you are compassionate, Cerberus flunkey boy." Anya snapped. "You and him..." She flicked her eyes at her father again, who actually flinched. "You will use me, abuse me and then throw me away. It is _what you do_." The tech had a laryngoscope in hand now and she sighed and opened her mouth. It was nasty, but she kept from gagging as the tube went in. The tech patted her hand and smiled at her.

"It will be okay ma'am." He consoled her. "Just relax. The scan won't hurt." Anya made a noise of disgust through the tube and the tech sighed as he turned away. Then he froze. "_What the hell?_ Sir..." He asked, dumbfounded. "Is that what I think it is...?"

"That is not possible." Pedro Wilson-Fuentes had an unaccustomed look of bafflement on his face as he too stared at the screen. "Take us back to her first memories after the raid on Sanctum. It has to be some kind of trick. Activate the inducer and see if we can get past it."

"Right." The medic lowered another device over Anya's face and his hand touched her again. "Ma'am... Look at the lights, please." Anya screwed her eyes shut tightly and he sighed. Cold things pressed on either side of her head and her eyes shot open again against her will. She stared, entranced at the swirling pinwheel colors that were just in front of her eyes. "That's it, Ma'am... just look at the lights and everything will be fine... Just relax, Calm.." His voice was soothing, so soothing. Just like the lights... Anya felt the world fall away and she was swept into memory.


	39. Chapter 39

**A memory**

{Miss Anya? Can you percieve me?} The gentle voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Anya tried to remember what had happened. She had been fighting. Her team had been ambushed by an enemy she had never fought before. But anyone who had read ANY of Shepard's reports would have recognized them instantly. Collectors. Large headed, 4 eyed, insectoid aliens who had supposedly been wiped out when Shepard passed through the Omega 4 relay and destroyed their base. Apparently not. She opened her mouth to respond and froze. Nothing happened! She paused, trying to fathom what was wrong. She had tried to open her mouth, She could feel her mouth, but it hadn't moved! Fear came and with it anger. She started to struggle.

{Anya.} The gentle voice sounded. {You are very badly hurt. Please do not struggle. Your body is encased in a healing pod that is filled with regenerative fluid. Please let me help you. I need your help as well.} Something caressed her, -was it physical or only in her mind?- a gentle touch, soothing, calming. {Your lungs are filled with oxygenated liquid. Focus your mind, speak to me that way.}

{I...} Anya shook herself and tried to focus. It did not come easily. {Who are you?}

{I am Holik Devisha.} The voice said quietly. Anya tried to wrap her head around that odd name, but there were sounds in it she simply could not reproduce. The voice laughed a little sadly and spoke again. {But you may call me 'Scholar' as some of my colleagues did.}

{Scholar?} Anya asked, amazed she was so calm. Trapped, unable to move and having a polite conversation with someone she could not even see? {Where am I?}

{Truth be told...} Scholar replied a little uneasily. {I am not entire sure _where_ we are.} Anya felt fear, but Scholar moved quickly to reassure her. {You are in _no_ danger, Anya. Your injuries are being healed. But... they were extensive.}

{How bad?} Anya made herself ask. {I remember getting shot. I remember seeing my HUD show a massive hemorrhage in my belly. I was bleeding out...}

{You were.} Scholar replied. {The Lost Ones saved your life. I am not entirely sure _why_. But it cannot have been anything good.}

{'Lost Ones'?} Anya asked carefully.

{You call them Collectors, Anya.} Scholar said sadly {My people called them the 'Lost Ones'. Taken and turned into monsters serving the will of the Reapers. Some of us thought it was some kind of divine punishment for our Empire's mistakes.}

{Wait a minute...} Anya said slowly. {The Collectors were Prothean.} She spoke slowly, trying to keep the simmering fear from overwhelming her. {Are you saying YOU are...}

{I am.} Scholar replied. {I know it is hard to believe.}

{Not really.} Anya said slowly. {But how do I know you _are_ Prothean? You could be a Collector trying to trick me.}

{Why _would_ they?} Scholar asked reasonably. {What would they gain? They had you in their power. Why would they try such a subterfuge? It would serve little purpose.}

{I don't know.} Anya admitted. {But I can't trust anything you say...} She said slowly.

{Will you trust your eyes?} Scholar asked gently. {You are very strong willed to be able to speak like this so easily.}

{What do you mean?} Anya asked, unsure.

{I _can_ get your eyes to open, let you see through the pod. It will not be clear, but you will see me.} Scholar said gently. {If that does not suffice... I can _show_ you my past, let you judge for yourself.}

{Will it hurt?} Anya hated the pleading note that entered her voice. {I mean... I guess... I... I dunno...}

{It will hurt. You are healing, Anya.} The voice of the maybe Prothean said gently. {We _can_ wait until you have healed some more. We have time.)

{Let me see.} Anya said after a moment. {I... I need to know.}

{Very well.} The voice was calm and soothing. {This will hurt a great deal, Anya. Are you ready?} It asked gently.

{Yes.} Anya replied. Then she screamed as pain erupted through her entire head. Something worked to quell the pain as soon as it happened, but it just kept coming. She felt her eyes open and she could see!

She was floating upright in some kind of pod. She quailed as she realized it was the same kind of pod Shepard's reports had described the Collector's using. But she was seeing it from the _inside_. The fluid she was floating in was an odd color, somewhere between blue and violet. But it had odd tinges, or maybe that was just her eyes? She couldn't be sure. Something moved outside the pod and she focused on that. She stared at the figure that suddenly became clear. In form, it looked _sort_ _of_ like a Collector, but...not. It had the same body proportions, the same three fingered hands, the same four eyes, but... it was cleaner, gentler in appearance. She gasped as the pain increased. The figure shook it's head.

{I must shut your eyes, Anya. You do not have control of those nerves yet.} Scholar said heavily. Anya focused and slowly raised a shaking hand and Scholar barked. {Anya, _don't_! You _will_ hurt yourself further!} She pressed the palm of her hand against the surface of the pod and after a moment, the figure laid it's three fingered hand against the same spot on the outside. Something oozed into her mind. Worry, fear, pain, anger, horror, all that. And... kindness. Compassion. Exasperation. A knowledge that she would _not_ come to harm if Scholar had _any_ say at all in it. Without her command, her eyes shut. But now, she wasn't afraid.

{I...} Anya said in the odd way that she had conversed. {That hurt, but I saw... Was that you?}

{Yes.} Scholar said with disapproval. {You over stressed your body, Anya. You will have to sleep again. Soon.}

{Geez, you sound like Raan'ita.} Anya said with a mental sigh. {Once a medic, always a medic I guess.}

{I wouldn't know.} Scholar said with a sigh. {You are the first sentient I have spoken with... Well. It has been a very long time.}

{Okay."} Anya said as she relaxed a little. {I am sorry I couldn't trust you.}

{After what you have been through?} Scholar said incredulously. {I am amazed you trust me at _all_. I am afraid you are going to be in that pod for some time, Anya. But have no fear. We are in no danger. This ship will not run out of life support for centuries.}

{Ship?} Anya asked, scared again.

{Yes.} Scholar replied evenly. {We are on a ship. I...um...seem to have captured it.} He said dubiously.

{How could you not know?} Anya slowly relaxed. {And do you know _where_ we are?}

{I have not been over every... OH what is the human term?} Scholar seemed to think. {Meter? Yes... I have not been over every meter of this ship, Anya. It is huge. I was doing that when I found you. Your pod's mechanisms were familiar to me. I was a biosciences specialist when I was posted to Illos.}

{_Illos_?} Anya asked incredulously. {I...} She felt awareness fading and she screamed. {No! No, don't let me go!}

{You are safe, Anya.} Scholar's voice was very gentle. {The pod is putting you to sleep so you can heal more. I will be here when you wake. It will not be long. Less than a day cycle for you to wake. Sleep, little one. I will be here.} The words were kind and Anya sank into slumber comforted.

**The present**

Anya was roused from the memory by sharp voices but could not move or look away from the pinwheels in front of her eyes.

"Madre de _Dios_!" Her birth father was saying. "_Another_ Prothean! All this time, we thought the _Collectors_ had her! Can we make out what they said to one another?"

"Not in any clarity, sir." The med tech responded. "They seemed to be talking directly to each other's minds. And in Prothean? That should not be possible." He mused. "Only Shepard had the Cipher, so..." He sighed. "I don't know."

"Play more." Anya's father commanded. "I want to know what happened." Anya fell into the memory again.

**The memory**

{Scholar?} Anya asked. It had been several days since she had first woken. Or at least, several sleeps. Not being able to see without intense pain made for VERY lax timekeeping. {What happened to you?}

{I don't know it all, Anya.} Scholar said with a sigh. {I was a biosciences specialist attached to a secret Imperial project on Illos.}

{The Conduit?} Anya asked. {The mass relay to the Citadel? Shepard found that, used it to delay the Reapers.}

{Yes. We used it to stall their return, but...after the Keepers had been altered...} Scholar's voice turned melancholy. {We had nowhere to go, no food available. The Keepers were there, but our signal confused them. There were only ten of us left, and we... Well...}

{I would have gone mad.} Anya said slowly. {Starving to death alone in that huge place...}

{Most of us did.} Scholar replied. {Some of my colleagues killed themselves, some fought each other, killed each other... I hid. I was no fighter. When I left my hiding spot, I found the others all dead. I am the last.}

{No.} Anya said quickly. {You are not.}

{What?} Scholar asked sharply. {Anya...}

{You have been searching records available on this ship?} Anya asked. They had talked about current events. {Look for the name 'Javik'.} She felt Scholar's confusion, but then a glimmer of excitement. It didn't disturb her that she felt Scholar, not now. Not after Scholar had...molded his mind to hers. She KNEW he was telling the truth. She could feel it.

{Javik...} Scholar said slowly. {I do not know the name... HOLY...} The Prothean said in an awed voice as he found the records. {Another cryo facility? One that.. oh...} He sighed sadly. {Javik was the only survivor?}

{The commander of the base.} Anya said with a shudder. {The VI in charge deactivated all the other surviving pods to keep his online.}

{Vigil did the same.} Scholar replied. But his calm tone did NOT hide his anger. {It was a sound move, strategically speaking, but evil.}

{Pragmatism seems to be a hallmark of your Empire.} Anya said slowly. She felt Scholar recoil and she paused. {What?}

{They were not MY Empire.} Scholar said with a snap. {I was never a warrior. I wanted to study, to find ways to heal. They took me, kidnapped me away from my family. They dragged me to Illos without so much as a 'by your leave'. They... I...} Scholar retreated a bit.

{Scholar?} Anya said, scared. {I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you.}

{Anya, I was different. A throwback.} Scholar said sadly. {Much like what I have seen in your memories.} Anya stiffened and Scholar hastened to speak again. {I tried not to pry. It was rude of me. But it has been..so...long...} The gut wrenching pain and loneliness screamed at Anya although Scholar tried to keep it from her. {I am sorry, Anya. I had no right.}

{After what you have survived, _anyone_ would have a few off moments, Scholar. Apology accepted.} Anya said and then changed the subject. {So you were on the Citadel?}

{Yes.} Scholar's gratitude was clear. {I couldn't stay there. I fashioned a crude life support pod and launched it into space. I had always loved the stars. I have no idea how long I drifted, centuries. Then I was picked up, by this ship apparently. They knew the pod was Prothean tech, but could not open it, so they put it in storage.}

{So if you were in stasis...?} Anya mused. {What woke you?}

{I have no idea, Anya.} Scholar said with a sigh. {The pod opened into a darkened storage area. When I exited it, I found dead Collectors everywhere. But no signs of violence, it looked as if they had all simply dropped dead in place. I was searching the ship for answers when I found the pod you are in. The rest you know. Ah...} Scholar sighed. {There is NO recent information available on Javik. He could be anywhere.}

{We need more information.} Anya said slowly. {Scholar, how long will I be in this?}

{A very long time, Anya.} Scholar said sadly. {The damage was extensive. The lower body damage was fairly easy to repair, and the loss of fluids likewise, but the cranial trauma...}

{Wait, what?} Anya asked. {Cranial trauma?}

{Anya...} Scholar's voice was kind now. {You were struck by two high velocity projectiles. One tore through your abdomen, tearing a major fluid vessel. That WOULD have killed you, but the other was worse. It happened after the abdomen wound. It hit your skull, penetrated and damaged your brain.}

{How bad?} Anya asked, her voice one step removed from abject terror.

{There is a device inside your skull, Anya.} Scholar said gently. {I recognize it. It is Prothean technology. It has been there for some time. At least ten of your years, possibly more. It recorded your memories. That is what I am speaking to. That recorder.}

{I am a mech?} Anya said, horrified.

{No. You are a VERY lucky human.} Scholar projected soothing energy to Anya and she calmed slowly. {Your memories were preserved. If the projectile had struck the implant, well...We would not be having this conversation. As it is, the implant is replacing the chemical markers of your memories as the brain matter regenerates. I was not aware that human brain matter _would_ regenerate but yours _does_.}

{So my memories are recorded in the implant.} Anya said, calming. {Is that why the collectors wanted me?} She asked and then paused as she felt Scholar recoil a little. {Scholar?}

{No it is not.} Scholar said, his tone heavy. {I...found some information while digging for schematics of this ship while you slept last. I know why they wanted you, Anya.}

{Do I want to know?} Anya asked, her tone scared again. Scholar did not respond and Anya sighed. {Tell me.}

{The Collectors as you call them, had been heavily modified by the Reapers, Anya.} Scholar said in a soft, sad voice. {They are puppets, tools. And... They cannot reproduce themselves in any way except by cloning. The Reapers apparently didn't care, but apparently some of THEM did. They were trying to find a way to reproduce the numbers they lost when Shepard attacked their base. Using you.}

{No...} Anya breathed, fear growing. {Oh no, no... Scholar no...}

{They modified your body, Anya.} Scholar said sadly. {I _may_ be able to undo it. I know what they did, but it _will_ take a great deal of time. And...I...} Scholar paused, his worry clear to Anya. {I am conflicted, Anya.}

{Conflicted?} Anya asked slowly, and then comprehension dawned. {Wait... If _they_ could use me to make more of _them_, _you_ could use me to make more Protheans, couldn't you?}

{Yes.} Scholar said simply. {I have enough genetic material from my own body to synthesis the beginnings I would need. I am a biosciences specialist. I can. Any others of my people that I knew _would_ do it. But... I...} The Prothean paused and then spoke again. {I cannot.}

{Why not?} Anya asked, curious despite her slowly dissipating fear.

{The Empire is gone, Anya.} Scholar said sadly. {But before... They took the right to procreate from me. I...spoke out against some of the excesses of the Empire before the Reapers came and after. The things my people did...} Anya could feel Scholar's hate now. {They took me from my mate, from our child. They sentenced me to life encased in a stasis pod. When they thawed me, I was taken to Illos. I found out that my mate and child had died, cast into the firestorm by military commanders as cannon fodder. I hate them, Anya. I will _not_ become them!}

{Scholar.} Anya said slowly. {How long will I be in this pod?}

{I...} Scholar sighed deeply. {At least two of your years unless I can devise a portable form of life support and healing. I have some ideas.}

{And... what would be involved in bearing Prothean young?} Anya asked, only to pause as Scholar shouted at her.

{_I will not do that to you!_} Scholar screamed.

{Scholar.} Anya snapped in command voice. {Calm down. I am getting options, no more. What would be involved?}

{Anya...} He could feel her rock heard determination now and sighed. {Our young are gestated in clutches of between four to six eggs. You _might_ be able to hold two with your body form. They must be grown in a living body or a great number of complications ensue. A living mind is needed to imprint them. Once they reach a certain age, they can be removed to gestation pods. Anya... I can't...}

{Scholar.} Anya said slowly. {I am stuck in here for two _years_. What _else_ am I going to do?} She asked with a mental smile.

{Talk to me?} Scholar said weakly. {I... Anya... No...} He begged.

{See if it is feasible.} Anya said calmly. {If it _is_, we can see if it works. I never thought about being a mother, but hey... If it saves your race...}

{I don't know if it is possible, Anya.} Scholar said slowly. {I don't know if I _can_ do this. Or if I _should_...}

{We need more information, Scholar.} Anya said slowly. Then she felt a familiar feeling and sighed. She was falling asleep. {And I apparently need more sleep. See you in the morning. So to speak anyway...} She was unconscious before she could hear Scholar's response.

**The Present**

"Anything?" Anya heard her father demand. "We just have static here?" Apparently, it had been far less time in the real world, she thought fuzzily as she continued to stare at the pinwheels in front of her eyes.

"Nothing we can decipher." The tech replied uneasily. "Something happened, that is clear, but _what_? We cannot read those memories."

"Fine." Her father snapped. "_If_ she survives the machine, we will do a lengthy debriefing. Scan forward. I want to see what happened when our team found her..."

Anya felt the familiar haze covering her again and could do nothing as memory claimed her again.


	40. Chapter 40

**Another, more recent memory. Two years after the meeting between Anya and Scholar**

"No, Kloiopsa." Anya said with gentle dignity as she sat. "I am _not_ like you. But that does not mean I don't love you." She held the squirming young one close and inhaled the scent. As always the little one smelled like a child. Clean and soft, with just the hint of sweat and fear. The images that the little Prothean put out were unclear, but understandable. Her distress made her words sharp and pointed.

"Madre, I do not understand." The littlest of Anya's sort of children said, confused. "You _are_ like us. Why do you say you are not? Why must you go?" The little female asked plaintively. "We don't want you to go."

Anya took a moment to think before responding. Being called 'Madre', Spanish for 'Mother', by a horde of immature aliens had taken _quite_ a bit of getting used to. But now she took it in stride. The kids were... marvelous. So many minds, so many differing ways of thinking. But... they were kids. Anya had not dealt with a lot of kids since leaving her family, but she _had_ dealt with a few. Like any parent, she had her own unique way of dealing with them. She tapped where the nose would have been on a human and Kloiopsa made the sound that Prothean children did when happy. It wasn't -quite- a giggle, but it was recognizable as mirth.

"I am not a Prothean, young one." Anya said sadly. "Sometimes, I wish I was. But I have others who loved me, before I was hurt. Before Scholar found me. I need to find them, find Crado." Just saying his name sent a pang of longing through her.

"But we love you, Madre." The small form said with a sharp cry as she hugged Anya tighter. "Don't go! Please!" She pleaded.

"I love you too." Anya said with a pang.

She hadn't been sure _what_ to expect when she had finally convinced Scholar to do it. She had not expected the first group, all females, to take her into their hearts so thoroughly. And after that, she had been lost. Not that she minded, most of the time anyway. But part of her always yearned to go, to find the other half of her soul. And the last reading that Scholar had taken before leaving on a mysterious personal errand had been clear. Her brain was healed. Her body had been reverted to fully human. She didn't need the suit anymore.

The suit that she wore was another piece of Scholar's technical wizardry. Scholar had continually amazed Anya with the depth of information that the scientist had at his fingertips. She _thought_ he was male anyway, she had never actually dared ask. He was a good being though and after a few months stuck in the pod, Anya had been going slowly stir crazy. It didn't help that the first batch of children had been rambunctious too. Nothing against them, they were kids. But Scholar hadn't had a clue how to handle them. So Scholar had built a suit for her and put her in it while she slept. It protected her body, covered her head with a lot more armor than the rest and hastened the healing process. It had also provided reinforcement for when Anya had been gravid. She had been worried but there had been nothing remotely sexual about it. She had gone to sleep in a machine and woken up carrying eggs. The eggs -they had determined she could carry _four_ at a time through careful experiment- were not heavy, but they had thrown her balance out of whack. After a few scary moments, she had adjusted to the suit and enjoyed it. Most of the time. She woke up crying at least once a week, reaching for someone who wasn't there. She missed Crado with every fiber of her being. But the kids needed her. Case in point...

"Madre..." Kloiopsa was trying to be brave. But she _was_ less than a month old. Protheans matured _very_ quickly, especially when they had access to Scholar's medical know-how. The little Prothean made a noise of fear. "What will we do without you?"

"Get in trouble?" Anya asked with a smile in her voice. It was odd. She felt...whole in the suit. It didn't matter to her that she could not see her own face. Most of the time it didn't bother her at all. There were compensations. She could see in a wider arc and more clearly than normal humans. She could also see into the infrared and ultraviolet ranges a bit. Her hearing as well was augmented into the ultrasonic range. She focused on the now with effort. "You _know_ you shouldn't have taken Jiop's toy."

Anya looked over to where a Prothean mech was working to clean up the mess the little male Prothean had left in his tantrum after having his toy stolen. Kloiopsa had run to Anya, crying, but instead of sanctuary, had found censure and had immediately been contrite. She wasn't a bad kid.

For a moment, Anya was lost in bad memory. One time she had woken confused after one of Scholar's early experiments with the suit. The hormones of pregnancy had mixed with the suit's healing in odd ways. She had been sure she had been a prisoner and had fought the mechs, thinking they were her captors. She had broken several of them, with biotics and other means before she had been subdued by Scholar. She still had nightmares of her fields or other powers killing the kids, although Scholar had promised her it was a one time thing. She didn't want to hurt the kids. She loved them, even when they did bad things.

"What you did was wrong." Anya said quietly, rocking the still scared young one.

"I know." Kloiopsa said softly. "For every action, there is... a reaction?" She asked and made a happy sound as Anya nodded. Then she turned sad again. "I was bad. I will be punished."

"Yes, Kloiopsa." Anya said with a sigh. "Some people in my species and others seem to think the universe _owes_ them something. That they deserve more. So they take it. Sometimes they hurt others. Sometimes they do worse."

"But that is wrong." The little Protheans said slowly, confused. "Doesn't anyone stop them?"

"Yes, Kloiopsa." Anya said with a sigh of memory. "I was one of those who stopped bad people. I wanted to..." She paused. What had she just seen? "I wanted to make a difference." There it was again and Anya felt fear the like of which she hadn't in almost four years. With Scholar's help she had determined that she had slept in that Collector pod for almost a year and a half before he had found her. It had taken him a _long_ time to search the ship. It was huge. Then two and half years of healing and raising children had flown by. But _nothing_ could make her forget the colors of the armor she had just caught another glimpse of. Black and white armor with orange markings.

"Madre?" Kloiopsa said slowly, sensing Anya's fear. "What is wrong?"

"Lipa." Anya said calmly, but with command. The designated leader of this section of children came up from where she had been standing waiting for Anya to calm Kloiopsa down. Anya's voice was calm and clear, but every one of the kids in the chamber turned to look at her.

"Yes, Madre?" Lipa was one of the first batch. Almost three and with the heart of a drill sergeant, she was tough and capable. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes." Anya said slowly, carefully _not_ looking at the armored form that edged into view again before vanishing. "Take the kids into the mess hall, and _lock_ the door. Do not open it for anyone but me or Scholar."

"Madre?" Lipa asked as she took Kloiopsa from Anya. To her credit, the tiny one did not complain. "What is wrong?"

"Tell the other groups to lock down as well." Anya said slowly as she rose from her seat. She thanked god that Scholar had decided that the eggs she had already carried were enough to propagate his species. If she had been carrying eggs now, she wouldn't have had a chance. She _still_ wasn't sure _how_ he had overcome the biological limitations or the physical ones. But she was glad he had. She loved the kids. "We have uninvited guests. Evil ones."

She silently ran through her assets, slim as they were and thanked Scholar mentally again that he had managed to get the suit equipped with a device that mimicked Prothean mind to mind communication. So none of the conversation that she had just had would have been audible to humans. Lipa nodded and the children formed ranks before filing out of the room slowly, coincidentally away from where she had seen the Cerberus armor. Anya keyed her amp live and felt power flood through her.

"Can I help?" Lipa asked softly. "You taught us to fight." Anya felt bad at that and shook her head.

"I taught you how to _survive_, Lipa." Anya said slowly as she rose to her full height and stretched. "This is beyond your skills. You do not know war. I pray you never do. You have the heart of a healer, not a killer. Not someone like me."

"Madre..." Lipa seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then laid a hand on Anya's arm. A wordless stream of information and emotion came from the young Prothean. Fear -both for herself and for Anya- predominated. But also love and affection. "Be careful."

"Go, Lipa." Anya said quietly as she turned to where the Cerberus form had been and then called her power. She leaped high into the air and soared, bouyed up by her biotics. Her amp had been built and then augmented by Scholar. Humans couldn't normally fly, but Anya _could_ in her suit, in limited bursts. She found a spot on the ceiling and slid into the shadows, moving silently towards where the Cerberus form had been.

"What the...?" A familiar female voice exclaimed. "Where did it go?"

"It flew up to the ceiling!" The voice of a Cerberus trooper answered. Either the indoctrination or the vocoder that the troops had made them all sound the same. Anya had never really cared enough to find out. "Watch the roof!" The trooper or his twin exclaimed. Anya shook her head silently and moved to flank the team she could hear but not yet see. Cerberus troops never _did_ seem able to move without commentary.

"Where did the small ones go?" The tantalizingly familiar voice said sharply. "We need a sample, and a small one would do." Rage flew through Anya at that and she discarded subterfuge. Years of traveling around the ship on foot, or floating on biotic fields told her exactly where the troops had to be. Indeed, as she swung around a pillar, she found a small group of forms in the hated black and white armor arranged in a small circle, each looking outward. A well thought out defensive formation, and _utterly_ useless against an opponent that could fly. They had no _idea_ what was about to hit them, or they would have brought some Guardians and/or Dragoons.

"You are not _touching_ the children, you filthy pieces of Cerberus slime!" Anya screamed in English as she landed in their midst, achieving complete surprise. "Die!"

Her field clicked on and several of the assault troopers immediately started screaming and writhing in pain as the biotic power started eating away at their flesh and bone. She threw her hand out, sending a bolt of energy flying at one troop and smiled evilly as the resulting combination of energy resulted in an explosion that threw two of them away from each other. From the sick crunch, one was never going to rise again and the other was out of the fight temporarily. She spun in place as the other Cerberus troops responded, but froze as she saw a Phantom. The female Cerberus trooper had her sword out and her palm blaster up, but had frozen in place.

"Anya?" The voice that was so familiar, and so not, sounded from the Phantom. "Is that you?" The voice sounded disbelieving. Anya did not hesitate, throwing her most powerful attack at the Phantom. The green energy field bit into the Phantom, who screamed in pain and raised her shield to ward it off, but that left her immobile.

_Oh for a pistol...Stupid shield protects them from powers, but does NOTHING for bullets... _ Anya thought as she darted to the left. Bullets hummed through where she had been as the Cerberus troops shook off their shock and responded to her attack. She threw herself into another shadow and spun in place as a Cerberus trooper ran after her. He screamed as she hit him with a bolt of kinetic energy that threw him halfway across the chamber. He _wasn't_ going to get up from that landing. Shots followed her as she darted for a new hiding spot. Her only allies were speed, surprise and brute force. But they were allies she knew and trusted. In the shadows, she saw a target and let fly. Her bolt of kinetic energy slammed two troops together with sick crunches. Both went down in a heap and neither of them got up.

"_Fall back!_" The Phantom shouted over the din of weapons and shouts. "Everyone, fall back!"

"There is only one!" A voice that had to be one of the field commanders, a centurion, sounded from nearby. Anya moved silently to flank him. "We can take it!"

"If that is who I _think_ it is, we don't have _nearly_ enough people." The Phantom's familiar voice called back, decisive. Authoritative. "Anya! We are _not_ enemies!" Anya was moving and snarled silently as she saw the centurion. The Phantom called a warning. "Centurion, look out!"

"Cerberus!" Anya screamed, startling the centurion who spun in place with an oath, but she was too close. She threw her arms wide and a pulse of power erupted from her that threw him into the wall like a rag doll. His shield crackled and failed, but he did not retreat. Indeed, he staggered to his feet and drew his taser baton. "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding..." Anya sneered. "_Die!_" She shouted as she threw kinetic energy again before he could swing. He went flying and the sick crunch as he landed on another trooper brought a feral smile to Anya's face. There was _nothing_ she liked more than killing Cerberus dogs...

White hot pain erupted in Anya's back and she screamed as she fell forward. She tried to roll but her body did not obey her. She blanched under her helmet as she saw a readout of the wound appear on her HUD, a stab in the back at kidney level. The suit could heal even such a terrible wound, but it would take time. More time than she had. She had no teammates to keep the Phantom that had blindsided her away while she healed. She was dead. She looked up into the eye slits of the Phantom's helmet and spat a curse in Spanish. To her amazement, the Phantom did not finish her off. Indeed, the Cerberus ninja stepped back as if shocked.

"Anya..." The Phantom said slowly. "It _is_ you..." The Phantom lowered her sword and with her free hand pulled her helmet visor back. Anya stared at the face that was so like her, and at the same time, so not. Kai Wilson-Fuentes was crying. "Madre de Dios... What have they done to you, hermana?"

"K...Kai..." Anya managed to gasp before a white armored boot entered her vision and darkness claimed her.

**An indeterminate time later**

"I protest this, Ma'am." A male voice pulled Anya out of the grey fog that surrounded her. "Our orders are clear." She tried to move and couldn't. She opened her eyes, but saw nothing but white. Her mind was fuzzy, she couldn't call her powers.

"That is my sister in there." The voice that Anya now recognized as her elder sister came again. "I want to know what happened to her."

"_Whatever_ happened, she is no longer human." The male voice said sourly. "She healed that sword wound in a matter of minutes."

"That was the suit, fool." Kai's voice was derisive. "Have you found any _other_ anomalies in the scans since we got it off?"

"No." The male voice said dubiously. "There, she is awake. Ask your questions quickly."

"Anya?" Kai's voice was soft, gentle. "Can you hear me?"

"Hello Kai." Anya said as clearly as she could. "When did you sell your soul to the Illusive Man?" She asked sourly.

"When did you sell yours to the bugs?" Kai snapped right back. Then the Phantom sighed. "Come on, sis, talk to me."

"The only thing I have to say to Cerberus lackeys is to perch and rotate." Anya said, trying to move. She felt pain deep down in various places, but nothing really hurt. "Well, that and..." She blew a raspberry.

"You are still silly." Kai said, half whimsically, half resigned. "Anya, that pod you are in will keep you alive until we can get you home. You will sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be better."

"After I get my lobotomy?" Anya asked. "I mean that _is_ the only way I will work for you baby killers. How many of the little ones did you kidnap or kill?" She asked, hate oozing from every pore.

"We fled with you, Anya." Kai said sadly. "Our orders were to get samples. We failed but... I think we came out ahead. Instead of Collectors, I found my sister." Anya did not correct Kai's mistake. She wasn't _about_ to tell Cerberus about live Protheans, especially young ones.

"I am not your sister." Anya said slowly. "I was legally an adult when I left and changed my name. I want _nothing_ to do with you! _Especially_ if you work for the Illusive Man."

"We don't work for him, Anya." Kia said gently. "We were and are a separate cell. And the Illusive Man died five years ago, Anya. I guess you have been out of the loop."

"Maybe." Anya said, neither confirming nor denying. "But I still won't help you."

"Yes, you will, Anya." Kai said gently. "We _are_ building a better future for humanity."

"Sure." Anya snapped. "Just like Cerberus always _did_, I am sure. One corpse at a time. Some future."

"Ah, Anya..." Kai groaned. "You are as stubborn as ever."

"Put me back to sleep." Anya said sourly. "I have _nothing_ to say to you."

"Anya..." Kai tried but Anya did not respond. "Anya, _please_..." Her sister begged. "Anya..." Kai said sadly, tears sounding in her voice. "Okay, Anya we do it your way. I have missed you. Sleep well, sister." Something hissed and Anya was falling into blackness when something rocked the pod she was in, jarring her awake. "What the _hell?_" Kai's voice sounded. "Report!"

"We are under attack!" Another female voice sounded. "I think it's that Collector ship. I can't get a good reading. How did they find us? Can they track her somehow?"

"I don't know." Kai said, unsure. "Dang it! Evade and get us to the mass relay!"

"If they have tracked us through two jumps, Kai..." The pilot said slowly.

"I know." Kai said sternly. "I will think of something. The pod is self contained. We can drop her, come back and get her. Nighty night, Anya." Another hiss sounded and _this_ time, Anya fell into the blackness.

**The present**

"The rest we know... Kai dropped the pod and was chased from it." The patriarch of the Wilson-Fuentes clan said slowly. "And by the time she could go back, it had vanished and she could not track it. She blamed herself." He mused.

"Finding a small inert object in interplanetary space is no trivial matter, sir." The medic said softly. "I am amazed even a _Reaper_ could have done it."

"Is the subject plaint enough?" Anya's birth father asked clinically. "For the machine?"

"She is calm." The medic said as something touched Anya's cheek She did not react, indeed, she couldn't focus on anything but the lights in front of her eyes. "Anya? Can you hear me?" Anya groaned but could not do anything else. "She is ready."

"Excellent." Pedro Wilson-Fuentes said with an anticipatory smile in his voice. "And now, we get the sword..."


	41. Chapter 41

Anya did not resist as the cold objects that were touching her withdrew. She did not resist as the tube down her throat came out. She did not resist as the pinwheeling colors were removed and her eyes were covered. She did not resist as the table she was strapped to was wheeled out of the room. She was reeling. She had not remembered. Had it been the drugs that the medical gear in the pod had given her? Had it been the stasis she had been in? She had forgotten. She had given new life a chance to flourish and she _had forgotten_...

She barely noticed as the table stopped moving. Then a harsh voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Well?" Her birth mother demanded.

"We found out a few things." Her birth father replied. "She wasn't with the Collectors. Apparently there was a live Prothean involved. And not the one Shepard found."

"So?" Karinlina scoffed. "She is still an alien loving freak. She gave _birth_ to aliens and wasn't upset by it!"

"We don't _know_ that, Karin." Pedro replied softly. "We cannot read those memories with any detail. When we are done here, we will take her and gently wring her out." While the words might have been almost kind, the tone was clinical, impersonal. He really didn't care for anything except she had potentially valuable information, Anya realized.

"Does it _have_ to be gently?" Karinlina demanded, a rough hand slapping Anya's thigh.

"Stop that, Karin." Pedro snapped. "I _know_ you don't like her. I know why. But we need her. Her genetics are the key to the machine. She has always been the key."

"She almost escaped again." Karinlina said in a dangerous voice. "You _should_ wipe her mind."

"We have _had_ this discussion." Pedro replied evenly. "Her experiences are what make her strong. Once she has activated the machine, started it up, any of us can use it. When that is done, her memories will be the only useful thing. Once _those_ are ours, you can have her."

"Hear that, brat?" Karinlina said, her voice close. "You are _mine_. I will teach you respect again."

"Not yet." Pedro said sternly. "_Back off_, Karin. Medic... Is she stable?" A whirring close at hand sounded and the medic's worried voice came.

"She's..." The medic sounded unsure. "She is calm. Maybe too calm. I don't know, sir..."

"So we do not need to give her any muscle relaxants?" Pedro asked. "That's good."

"Something is off, sir." The medic said slowly. "She should be feeling anger, especially after being struck. She isn't."

"Is the poor little brat afraid?" Karinlina asked mock sweetly. "She should be."

"Karin." A wealth of disapproval sounded in the soft word and then her father continued. "I _know_ you hate her for running away, for making you bear another child. But if you hurt her or contaminate the experiment, we will have to start over. That is, make _another_ child with the genes from this one and raise _her_. Ten or twenty _more_ years. Do you want that?" He asked mildly.

"No." Was that _fear_ in Karinlina's voice? Then it vanished. "We _could_ make the brood cow here carry it."

"_If_ she survives, we could. Karinlina, if you do not control yourself, I will have you removed. Can you control yourself?" Pedro said softly. "Good. Medic, get the subject ready."

Anya felt hands on her now, unstrapping her. But she still couldn't move. Between everything else that had happened and the revelations of her past, she was wrung out. She tried to summon anger but it wouldn't come. Her training seemed far away. What was wrong with her? It was hard to concentrate.

"You are all right, Ma'am." The medic said soothing close by. "The hypnotic paralysis is temporary. Here..." He said in a croon. "Look at the pretty lights again." The covering over here eyes came off and she stared at the lights that pinwheeled in front of her face. "That's it..." The man's voice was soothing. She felt hands taking her gown and diaper off. But it didn't bother her. Nothing did. She felt cold things being attached to her scalp and chest, but that didn't bother her either.

"Why are we coddling her?" Karinlina demanded. "Just shove her in and be done with it!"

"Karin, shut up!" The sound of a slap echoed in the room. "She needs to be calm. You know what happened to Jennifer when she entered it angry. We have come too far to be stopped now by your petty lust for revenge. Guard." Her father's voice turned sharp. "If she moves _anywhere_ except her monitor panel, shoot her."

"You wouldn't..." Karinlina's voice was sharp with fear now.

"Yes I would." Anya's father was calm and cold. "Medic?"

"She is ready." The medic said as the final straps came off. Anya tried to summon the will to fight, but couldn't. "Easy Ma'am. A little slide and some icky stuff."

Anya felt her body start to move but could not summon the energy to struggle as she slid into...something. She landed with a wet splat and floated on...something. It didn't feel like water. Her arms and legs were free, but she could not summon the will to move them. She was so tired, so very tired. The thing over her eyes came off and she was left alone in darkness. But only for a moment. Odd red and violet tinged light started playing over her and she felt things start to rise around her. Something grabbed the back of her head and she gasped as it stung for a moment, but then relaxed.

{ANYA?} A familiar voice sounded in her mind. {OH NO! ANYA!} The female voice sounded terrified. {No.}

{Obligatha?} Anya asked slowly. {Is that you? How?}

{Yes. It is us. We can communicate while you are in that evil machine.} The Reaper said quickly. {We are coming, Anya. Help is coming.}

{They are doing something to me.} Anya said slowly, trying to make her sluggish mind work faster. {They are...} She gasped aloud as something touched her belly and then wrapped around her. It felt like...tiny suckers. They didn't hurt, indeed, they felt good. Something stung her arm and she felt even better. Then something else stung the back of her head near the neck and she was floating on a gentle, warm sea. {What are they doing?} She asked, feeling her mind slowly shake off the imposed lethargy. She felt pressure on other parts of her body, but nothing hurt.

{Something stupid.} Obligatha responded sharply. {They are using a machine to try and control us, all of us, the Reapers. Technically, it _could_ control every synthetic, but it won't work. It will back fire and probably kill everything in the system, organic and sentient alike. They have enhanced the power systems. The pulse is likely to be comparable to the explosion of a mass relay.}

{How do you know?} Anya asked softly. {This is...weird, but it doesn't feel bad.} Indeed, it was very relaxing.

{_Anya! Stay awake!_} The Reaper nearly screamed. {The people we were made from built it, Anya. We were not fighters, Anya. We were builders. When the Reapers came, we tried to control them. We built a machine to control the huge machines that were attacking us. And... it worked. But only for two and an half of your minutes. Then the backlash killed half our people. The Reapers had no difficulty harvesting us after.} Relief flooded the Reaper now. {We are here, Anya. Stay awake!}

"Sir!" A voice called from far away. "We have hostile ships entering the system! Defenses are... _Oh my god! Reaper! Capital class!_"

"Power the machine." Pedro Wilson-Fuentes said with a cold laugh. "We have a test subject to turn to our control. Status?"

"System defenses are failing." The voice replied. "They were not meant to stave off a Reaper. There is another ship fighting beside the Reaper. Scans show it is a Collector vessel." Anya felt her heart lurch. Scholar? Here?

"As soon as the machine powers up, those ships will be in our thrall." Anya's birth father said coldly. "Time?" The sound of an explosion reached Anya's ears and Pedro snarled a viscous cursed before snapping orders. "What was t_hat_? Report!"

"Security control is gone. Enemy forces INSIDE the base!" The voice of a trooper replied over the sounds of gunfire. "We read forty signatures. Not human, but they are moving fast. We can't... AH!" A scream sounded and the com cut off.

"Seal the room." Pedro ordered and Anya heard heavy things click closed. "We have enough power to run it once. That is all we need. Medic?"

"She is ready." The medic replied. "Vitals are stable and the alien interface is running."

"Good." Pedro said distractedly. "Hmmm...? What is that on video four? PROTHEANS? We never expected this! And... Ah... Spectre Williams and a team of Alliance goons with some Turians coming in the back door..." He said evilly. "Good to know that busybody bitch will be one of our first thralls." Anya felt something else happen. She could feel the thrum of power generators starting to cycle up. But... They felt odd. Out of synch maybe?

{_Obligatha!_} Anya screamed in her mind. {They are powering it up! Is Scholar here?}

{He and your brood are here.} Obligatha said sadly. {They demanded to come.}

{Get _out_ of here!} Anya screamed. {It will kill you! I...I don't want to kill my kids...} She felt wetness on her face.

"Sir." The voice of the medic was perplexed. "Subject is...crying. That is atypical. No pain readings. So...why...?"

"Is the little traitor finally feeling remorse?" Karinlina snapped. "About time."

"Karin, shut up!" Pedro retorted with heat. "Medic. Can we proceed?"

"Nothing on the scans says _why_ she is crying." The medic said softly. "All readouts in the green. The salt is reacting with some of the alien chemicals, but nothing untoward. I recommend haste."

{Anya, we are too far in.} Obligatha said slowly. {We cannot flee. Your children will not leave you. Scholar and I are _trying_ to convince them, but they are adamant.}

{No...} Anya said. {They will die.} Then she paused as a thought occurred to her. {Obligatha...You are not close enough and my father has sealed the room. It has it's own generator. No one can get to me in time, can they?} She asked softly, not really expecting any good news. The feel of the generator was building. She cracked her eyes and the lights were increasing in intensity and frequency. They hurt her eyes so she shut them again. She could feel little tingles, of power playing along her bare skin. It didn't hurt.

{We are trying, Anya.} Obligatha said, fear, rage and sadness all vying for prominence in the Reaper's voice. {Hold on, stay awake. If you sleep, it will activate. The energy pulse will kill you, burn out your mind, then the machine will explode.} Obligatha said slowly.

{I can't let them kill my kids, Obligatha...} Anya said, struggling with the lethargy that seeped through her. {Can you do what Harbinger did? Possess people?} Anya asked. Suddenly the voice in her head was silent. {Obligatha...}

{No...} The mental voice of the Reaper was horrified. {Anya, _no!_}

{Tell me another way to keep my kids alive.} Anya said reasonably. {To keep _you_ alive. I only just met you and I like you.}

{We like you too, but... We are _not_ alive, Anya.} Obligatha's tone, if anything was even _more_ horrified. {Do not even _think_ that. Anya we can get to you!}

{In time?} Anya asked, a calm descending that had nothing to do with her current state. She tensed as the feelings of power suddenly increased. {Obligatha...!}

"Power spiking." Karin said quickly. "Unknown cause."

"Stabilize it!" Pedro ordered. "Now. We are almost there. Go to full power! The Alliance scum are almost to the bulkhead! How is the subject?"

"Sir..." The medic sounded worried. "She is not going to sleep. Something is keeping her awake. She needs to be asleep for the machine to integrate fully and activate."

"Okay, sedate her." Pedro said with a sigh. "It will likely cause irreparable brain damage, but we can make a new, more dutiful daughter out of the shell." A sting in her arm roused Anya from her stupor.

"_No!_" Anya screamed as the power that was arcing around her suddenly increased in strength and speed. "You don't know what you are doing!" She struggled but she was held fast.

"Easy, Ma'am." The gentle voice of the medic was back. "Just relax, let the sedative take hold. You will sleep and everything will be better."

"The power..." Anya gasped. "It's unstable... Can't you feel it?" She begged. "It's unstable! It is going to blow! Back fire!"

"Shut up, brat." Karin snapped. "Your lies are meaningless."

"_You are an idiotic witch!_" Anya screamed. "Your hatred of me will kill _everyone in this system!_"

"Gag her." Pedro snapped and something covered Anya's mouth. She screamed again and again, but no sound came out., She could feel her body's rhythms slowing and the power of the machine increasing as her body slowed.

{Obligatha... please...} Anya begged as she felt control slipping from her. {They are sedating me! I... can't... stay awake...Take control!}

{Anya, as weak as you are, taking control will kill you.} The Reaper's voice was sad, so sad. {Let us try to save you. it should shunt your mind into a sleep cycle, let us take control without killing you. _If_ we have the algorithms right.} Worry sounded in the Reaper's tone. {We have never done this.}

{The machine will kill me sooner. You can stop them. Just... don't kill Kia, or Melissa or Jenni if you can help it.} Anya gasped as another sting sent _more_ lethargy through her body. {Tell Crado... I...}

{We will.} Obligatha's voice was soft and gentle now. {Sleep Anya. You have _more_ than earned your rest, soldier. We hope to see and speak to you again.}

{If... If you can't save me... Don't blame yourselves. Tell everyone... I... am... sorry...} Anya managed to get out before darkness claimed her. This time, she knew there would be no coming back as she felt her self slip away from her body.

{We will.} Obligatha said into the emptiness. Then it's voice turned cold and hard.

"**Assuming Direct Control.**"


	42. Chapter 42

An agonized scream came from Anya's throat and then cold words.

"**Assuming Direct Control.**"

For a moment, no one understood what had just happened. Then Pedro Wilson-Fuentes spun in his chair to stare at the machine in which his traitorous daughter was confined. He exclaimed, in shock. It's sickly green and brown energies were dissipating. It burst into pieces, fragments flying every which way, but no one noticed. THAT took back seat to the form that was rising from the fragments of the device he had spent his lifetime building and making work. His daughter's naked body was coruscating with odd yellow energy as it slowly floated to the floor. And her eyes...

"What the _hell_?" He snapped, going for his pistol.

"**Hell indeed, Pedro Wilson-Fuentes.**" The female human's glowing yellow eyes snapped to him and the female sounding voice was inhuman. Was it one voice or many? "**Anya Solinus was the bravest and noblest female we have ever encountered. And now, she is gone. She sacrificed herself, as soldiers are all too often called upon to do. To stop _you_ from killing all life in this system. Out of respect for her...**" Around him, he could see other people raising weapons, but the glowing form did not seem to notice. Or care. ".**..We will give you this _one_ chance. Surrender now and live. Or die**."

"What makes you think we will surrender to a posturing little brat who puts on a ligthshow?" Karinlina asked sourly as she took aim and fired. The shot from her Talon pistol hit the glowing form center mass and did...nothing. There wasn't even a flicker where the biotic barrier surrounding the glowing form had been hit. "What the...?" Suddenly Karin looked very afraid. The medic threw his weapon away and cowered to the floor. Pedro for his part, just stood there, trying to make sense of this.

"**So be it.**" The awful female voice said. A pulse of power slammed the medic to the floor, rendering him instantly unconscious. One hand came up and _how_ many fingers were on it? Karin screamed as power flared around her. "**This hurts you. As you hurt _her_. All her life, she wanted to be strong, to be good. Not to be an evil selfish witch like you and you _killed her for it_! You killed our friend!**"

Karin screamed again as the power bit deep into her, devouring her armor and clothes, and then her skin and muscles and bone. In seconds all that was left was a faint hint of dark ash that wafted on the air circulation drafts and the memory of her agonized scream. Then it too was gone as Anya's glowing body stepped forward, it's eyes focusing on Pedro.

"**You.**" The inhuman voice snapped. "**You sired her for your purpose. Was it worth it? To _kill_ your own daughter?**"

"This changes nothing." Pedro said evenly. "Even if I die here, Cerberus will rise again. Humanity _will_ take it's rightful place."

"**You just don't get it.**" The voice mused. "**Anya was right when she said you lived in your own little world. Humanity _has_ taken it's rightful place. As equals, not overlords.**"

Pedro called his biotics and threw his most powerful ability at the glowing form. It had taken a great deal of work and study, but he had finally managed to get the ability to reave where he wanted to and for how long. No barrier in existence could hold up against that! He summoned kinetic energy to throw and then paused as the inhuman form laughed.

"**Is _that_ the best you can do?**" The inhuman female voice scoffed as it's barrier flickered but stabilized. "**We finally understand Anya's amusement. You _are_ pathetic!**"

"Shoot her!" He commanded and the guards in the command center fired.

They tried. The guards in the command center really did. But _none_ of them had ever faced anything like this. It wasn't their fault. Not many people _had_. Fewer still had _survived_ facing a being possessed by a Reaper. Mass driven projectiles, energy bolts and biotic energy converged on the glowing form. None had _any_ effect whatsoever. The form raised it's hands and bolts of dark energy spun out from them, slamming into armored forms, consuming their bodies almost before they had time to scream. It was over in moments and Pedro Wilson-Fuentes clenched his useless pistol in a sealed chamber that was suddenly and dreadfully silent.

"**We had forgotten...**" The glowing form said slowly. "**What it was to hate. What it was to rage. It took the death of a brave human woman to remind us. Anya Solinus will be remembered while any of our kind exist.** "

"Anya!" Pedro called. "We can still fix this. Fight it! Remember who you are! You can control it!"

"**Anya is dead. The power of the machine would have fried her mind, leaving the machine in a runaway reaction. The blast would have killed everything in this system. She asked us to take control from her, stop the blast. We did. But she is gone.**" The glowing form said implacably as it stepped toward where Pedro stood frozen. A whimper escaped him. "**She sacrificed herself to stop you. Was it worth it, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes? Was it _worth_ your daughter's life?**" A misshapen hand suddenly flashed out taking his throat and lifting him into the air by the front of his neck. "**_Was it worth it?_**" The alien form demanded.

"I..." Pedro said, scrabbling with his fingers at the iron grip that held him. He choked as the hand tightened. Then it released, dropping him in a heap on the floor.

"**No.**" The cold, inhuman voice spoke again. "**You will _not_ die so quickly, so easily. Death is final, death is the _end_ of pain. You deserve far, far more...**" Now the voice turned reflective. "**It is not a good thing, to give something old and powerful an object to love... It is not a good thing at all. It makes us...unpredictable.**" It reached for him again and he shrank away.

"What are you going to do?" He demanded, his voice a croak. He tried to roll away as the form's hands grabbed his head and he screamed. "No!"

"**We are _not_ going to kill you, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes.**" The glowing form said snidely. "**We think _this_ will be a better punishment.**" Power flared from the female form's glowing hands and seared into his skull. But before he could even scream it was gone. The hands dropped him in a heap.

"What have you done?" The man managed to gasp out after a moment.

"**You will never sire children again.**" The inhuman form said with a snarl. "**_And_ your biotic abilities were just quenched. If you try to access them...**" She laughed coldly. "**Go ahead... try...**" Pedro summoned his strength and threw out his hand. But instead of power, pain flared through his skull and he fell to the floor, clenching his head. "**Your biotic amp and implant were just turned to slag. ****You are now a eunuch _and_ powerless. We think the Alliance wants to talk to you.**" The form said with another laugh as the bunker they were in sounded with a loud clang. "**Here is hoping they make it _hurt_.**" It raised a hand and a panel at the wall sparked.

The door to the chamber opened and a battle scared form leaped in, only to pause as it took in the scene. The Cerberus Phantom was covered in soot and her armor was scored in a number of places. But she still moved easily as she turned to look around, but then she froze.

"Father? Anya?" Kai asked, horrified as she took in the scene. "No... No..." She begged.

"Kai!" Her father yelled. "Kill this _thing_!"

"**Kai Wilson-Fuentes...**" The glowing form said sadly. "**Please...don't. Anya's last wish was for us _not_ to kill you or your siblings. We want to honor that. Please. You cannot best us. You know what we are.**"

"You are a Reaper who has taken control of my sister's body." Kai said slowly. "She is...dead?" Kai asked with a small gulp.

"**We are Obligatha. Anya was dead before we took control.**" Obligatha said sadly. "**She tried to keep the machine from overloading. It was too much for her. This _idiot_ had her sedated.**" Hate filled Obligatha's tone as it looked at Pedro who cringed. "**As soon as she lost control, the power flowing through her mind killed her. We took control of her body an instant later. We were almost too late to stop the machine. We had hoped to save her, but we cannot find her mind. She is gone.**"

"But... the implant..." Kai begged, tears in her voice. "The memory recorder..."

"**The power surge destroyed it, Kai Wilson-Fuentes.**" Obligatha said in a gentle voice. "**She begged us. She begged us to stop her. We did not want to. But the machine's backfire would have killed everyone in the system. She sacrificed herself for the lives of every soul in this star system, Kai Wilson-Fuentes. Will you dishonor her sacrifice?**"

"No." Kai said softly and her sword fell from her hand to clang on the floor. "Is there _anything_ I can do?" She almost begged as she put her hands on her head and stepped away from the blade.

"_Kai!_" Her father screamed "I am your father! I gave you an _order_!"

"With all due respect, Mr. Wilson-Fuentes... Fuck you!" Kai said slowly. "You never put a control chip in me. Too bad. You are _not_ my father. Not anymore. Anya was a pain in the butt, but she _was_ my sister. She loved me. You do not."

"_Anya!_" A loud voice screamed form outside and an armored form ran in, only to stop short on seeing the tableau. The Turian's armor was scorched and torn, but his rifle was steady as it moved from the kneeling human to the standing, disarmed Phantom, to the glowing figure standing in the middle of it all, then it drooped. "No..." Crado Solinus said in a low tone. "No..." he begged. "Anya _no!_" He collapsed suddenly, his rifle falling from nerveless fingers as he knelt, keening.

"**We are sorry, Crado Solinus.**" Obligatha said in the silence that descended. "**There was no other choice. She begged us to stop her family. To stop the machine they had built. We did not wish to do it.**"

"It's stopped?" He asked softly after a moment. "She got you to stop it?"

"**She could not.**" Obligatha said sadly. "**They sedated her and her control faltered. The machine would have exploded with the power of a detonated mass relay. Every sentient in this system would have died.**"

"Including her kids..." Crado said tonelessly.

"Kids?" Kai asked, not moving. Then she did. In a convulsive move, she tore her palm blaster gauntlet off and threw it away. Then she tore her helmet off and threw it after the gauntlet. Tears were falling in streams as she knelt and put her hands back on her head. "Those were the small beings she was defending when we found her on that Collector ship." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Crado said softly. "We found out a bit when we started searching for her. An odd group of allies helped us." He said, his tone careful as he looked at the abject Phantom.

"My sister was a hero." Kai said softly. "And I am a villain. Do what you must. I stole your mate, Crado Solinus."

"Did you know what they were going to do to her?" Crado asked. "All this..." He waved a hand at the walls, indicating the entire complex.

"No." Kai said sadly. "No, like a good little slave, I never asked. I... I just wanted my little sister back. I wanted things to be as they had been. Before..." She bowed her head, crying.

"Crado? Where did that Phantom go? Did you find Anya?" Came another female voice as another form in battle scarred blue armor entered the room and froze. "Oh no...No..." Ashley Williams said with a look of horror visible through her armor's faceplate. "Obligatha...?" She breathed.

"**Anya died.**" Obligatha said sadly. "**She begged us to take control of her body before the machine built to overload. We was almost too late. We did not wish to do it.**" The Reaper repeated softly.

"You stupid...fanatic...fool..." Ashley said slowly, her tone turning sharp, glaring at the cowering Wilson-Fuentes. "All this to _try_ and control things that cannot be. Didn't Shepard's sacrifice teach you idiots _anything_? You just _had_ to repeat the Illusive Man's mistakes, didn't you?"

"**He is yours, Spectre Ashley Williams.**" Obligatha said, calming slightly. "**We disabled his biotics and rendered him sterile.**" All the eyes in the room but Pedro's turned to the glowing form and it shrugged. "**It seemed appropriate for someone who did not _care_ about his children.**"

"Remind me never to get you mad at _me_." Ashley said slowly with a shudder as she stepped in to lay a hand on the crying Turian's shoulder. "Crado?" He shook his head. "Crado, she wouldn't want you to fall apart."

"This is the second time I have lost her, Spectre Williams." Crado said slowly. "I... I can't...I can't go on without her." Everything seemed to stop as his hand dipped down and came up with his pistol. "Did she suffer, Obligatha?" He asked as he stared at the sleek Predator pistol. He rarely used his sidearm, but it was well maintained.

"**No.**" Obligatha said quietly. "**We could do that much, if nothing else.**"

"Thank you." Crado said sadly as he pointed the weapon at his own head. Kai inhaled sharply but another voice sounded.

"_Wait!_" A new voice shouted and an odd form entered the room. Kai stared at it, entranced. In form, it was humanoid, but the head was large and the four eyes were filled with emotion as the alien staggered up to Crado. Kai stared at the Prothean, entranced. "Crado Solinus, _wait_."

"I lost her again, Scholar." Crado said with a sigh. "She is not coming back."

"Wait... Crado... Wait..." The being called Scholar begged. "I can feel her. Obligatha?"

"**We cannot sense her, Scholar.**" Obligatha said slowly. "**We could, before.**"

"Feel through me, Crado Solinus." Scholar said, holding out a hand. "See if I am imagining it. We loved her too. Perhaps I am imagining it, but if I am _not_..." Crado looked at the outstretched hand for a long moment before taking it in the hand that did not hold the gun. Then his eyes lit with wonder.

"I can hear her. She is singing." Crado said, his gun falling to his side. "She is singing..." He repeated incredulously. "She did that when she was afraid and couldn't fight... I..." He looked around. "What do we do?"

"How long can you hold that form without damaging it, Obligatha?" Scholar asked. "We may be able to find her."

"**We can hold it for some time.**" Obligatha said, a little distracted. "**Harbinger never cared for his puppets. They were tools, cannon fodder, no more. We wanted to preserve her body, maybe clone her. We have tried to be gentle. We cannot sense her.**" The Reaper said, unsure. "**You can?**"

"We can." Crado said slowly as Scholar released his hand. "And I can still...Is it her, or an echo?"

"We need to find out." Scholar said sternly. "This place... We must search it. Try to find where her patterns are strongest."

"What can I do?" Kai asked from her spot on the floor. "She is my sister."

"Why should we trust you?" Williams asked coldly. "You are Cerberus."

"Because I was Anya's big sister before I was Cerberus." Kai said, meeting the Spectre's eyes. "And if you do not get Mr. Wilson-Fuentes out of here, he is going to try and grab for my sword." She nodded to the floor where it lay glinting. "And I will kill him." She said flatly. The man in question grabbed for the blade from where he had crawled slowly, but a blue armored boot threw him back as Williams studied the kneeling Phantom.

"James, get him out of here, secure him and keep an eye on him." Ashley ordered. A huge form in armor at the door nodded, grabbed the man despite his protests and bodily hauled him from the room. "Any others?" She asked as she looked at the unconscious medic.

"**Only that one. All the others fought.**" Obligatha said absently, it's focus elsewhere. "**They did not have a chance. Anya asked us to _try_ and spare them. We did. They refused for the most part.**"

"My mother?" Kai asked calmly. "She was in here."

"**Stress 'was'.**" Obligatha said quietly. "**She believed, to the end, that her daughter would obey her. Even after Anya was gone.**"

"Yeah." Kai said with a sigh. "That was my mother. Smart about some things, incredibly stupid about others." She looked at Williams and shook her head. "I don't blame you for not trusting me. In your place, I certainly wouldn't." She held out her hands for binders.

"We will need her." A voice silenced everything and all eyes turned to where Scholar was examining the remnants of the machine. "Her and her siblings."

"Scholar?" Crado asked, confusion warring with hope as the Prothean turned to him and smiled.

"Let us get our friend -your wife- back, Crado Solinus."


	43. Chapter 43

**Somewhere**

She was cold. It was colder than training in Antarctica had been. Colder than that Cerberus fighter base on Noveria. Almost as cold as space. And it was dark. Even darker than interstellar space. There were no stars. This was nothing like she had been taught as a child would come...after... She did as she had always done when scared of the dark, she started to sing softly. It dated back to her earliest memories, when Nanny had rushed in after a particularly terrible nightmare and soothed her back to sleep with a song. She had done it all her life, all through the horrors she had seen, she had always sung her nightmares away. She knew she wasn't a great singer, but she needed the calm.

She had died. She remembered that. She remembered Obligatha's kindness, then the slow darkness seeping into every fiber of her being. The dissolution of her self. Maybe the priests and holy sisters who had instructed her on religion as a child hadn't really...

Anya coughed and sputtered as she landed hard on a solid surface. She took a moment to recover and then got to her hands and knees before looking up. When she did, she froze. She wearing her N7 armor without the helmet or mask and was kneeling on some kind of square surface composed of green energy. All around, she could see other squares, cubes, and other things all seemingly composed of the same green energy. As far as her eyes could see, geometric shapes shone in the odd light.

"What the-...?" Anya said and stopped. Her voice echoed oddly in this strange place. "Hello?" She called, her voice traveling and coming back to her. She went stiff as another square appeared in the distance and a humanoid form became visible on it. No, as it came close it became clearer. A human. Female. The woman wore familiar armor, the same kind Anya was. She wore no helmet either. Red hair and... Anya inhaled sharply as she recognized the face.

"Hello Anya." The woman said in a totally impossible voice. She smiled sadly as the square she was on touched the one Anya was still kneeling on. "You look like you have seen a ghost or something. You gonna sit there all day?" She asked with a grin.

"Shepard?" Anya asked, dumbfounded. "Wait... If you are here, then I _am_ dead... Aren't I?"

"Not for lack of trying." Commander Shepard said a bit caustically. "Geez, woman. When are you gonna learn how to _duck_?" She asked with a laugh.

"Bite me, Jane." Anya told her former colleague with a snap. "I am _not_ up to what passes for your sense of humor at the moment."

"I know." Jane Shepard said sadly as she came onto Anya's square and knelt down beside the other woman. "I am sorry. But you scared me. You scared everyone. Oh Anya..." She reached out and took the now shuddering younger woman in her arms. "I am sorry..."

"I just..." Anya found herself hugging her classmate and crying. "Oh Jane! I just wanted to be a good soldier. I didn't want anything to _do_ with my family. Why wouldn't they leave me _alone_?" Anya screamed the last.

"You said it." Jane said with a sigh as she held the shuddering woman who had survived N7 training with her. "Your parents lived in their own little world. Nothing else mattered to them. Easy, Anya, it's okay." After a time, it could have been minutes or centuries, Anya held her classmate out at arms length and studied her. For her part, Shepard let her. "Do I pass inspection?" The dead Spectre asked calmly.

"You look..." Anya paused, thinking. "Good, Jane. I dunno. I never... _Am_ I dead?" She asked, confused.

"Yes and no." Shepard said gently. Anya looked at her and Shepard made a face. "Come on, Anya. How many _simple_ answers are there in life? Do you really expect any simple answers in _death_? Especially death where a Reaper took over your body?"

"How can you know about that?" Anya asked in wonder. "It's been ten years."

"Well." Shepard said with a sigh. "Jumping into the Crucible's beam taught me something. The Catalyst, the AI that controlled the Reapers, was both right _and_ wrong. My essence was dissolved and transmitted all over the place, merging every form of life into a new framework. My body was destroyed, but..." She grinned, an oddly childlike expression. "I am apparently not gone."

"But..." Anya said, confused. "I don't understand."

"I know." Shepard said with a sigh. "Suffice it to say that I _am_ dead. My body is gone. But my sister of battle needed me, so I am here. I can't do anything in the real world, but this isn't the real world. Maybe I am a hallucination, a whisper in the id. Maybe I am a ghost or remnant of code or something. I don't know. But your pain and fear called to me. We went through ICT Hell Week together, that bonded us. Then the true hell of the Reaper War. We never fought together, but we _did_ work together. And now? You needed me, so I came. You will be all right. Tell Garrus..." Was Shepard fading or was Anya? "'Good job with Liara. Take care of Jani. The bar is open, and I am watching. But you _better_ not show up before your time, or I _will_ kick your sorry tail'." The menace in Shepard's tone was clear, but she was smiling.

"Shepard..." Anya called to the now transparent form. "Wait..."

"It's okay, Anya." Shepard said gently. "I will be watching. Comrade, sister, friend." Then she was gone, the square she had been standing on vanishing as well. Anya reached out for her friend, her mouth open to voice a denial. But there was no one there.

"No..." Anya cried, collapsing back to her knees. Then she felt a gentle caress on her arm and she smiled. The music in her mind pulled her again and she started to sing again. "'Dance, dance, wherever you may be... I am the lord of the dance said he...'"

She was on the third verse when something changed.

"_Anya!_" A familiar voice sounded close by and a large form appeared hanging in midair. At first, Anya thought it was a Reaper, but it wasn't. Was it? "Anya, can you hear us?"

"Obligatha?" Anya asked, confused. "What? I died..."

"Your body nearly did. We thought you _had_. We could not find your mind in your body." The now non-Reaper shaped form said gently. A larger square appeared underneath it and Anya stared at the form that slowly coalesced as the square touched hers. The alien form that appeared had four legs, and two arms. It also had a large head with many large eyes and two antennae. The head nodded to Anya. "Hello Anya."

"That is... your true form?" Anya asked, dazzled. The skin of the being was bright silver color and it shone in the odd light and it was gorgeous to her eyes. "You are beautiful."

"Thank you, Anya. But this is only a memory." Obligatha said sadly. "Our people are only a memory."

"What happened?" Anya asked, dazed. "Where am I?"

"When we took control of your body..." Obligatha said quietly. "We did not know what we were doing. We had never done it before. We understood the principle, but not the actual practice. They are rarely the same."

"I know." Anya said sadly. "But... I fell into the darkness. That means I died, right?"

"No." Obligatha's reply was gentle. "We did not do exactly as Harbinger did. When it took control, it shunted it's puppet's mind out of the way, leaving the mind able to come back when Harbinger released control. We _thought_ we had done that, but we could not sense your mind anywhere in your body. We grieved that we had killed you."

"The machine killed me, Obligatha." Anya said quietly. "Not you."

"The schematics that your sire used to create the machine came from Prothean blueprints." Obligatha contradicted Anya slowly. "But they originated from _our_ race. The Protheans built the device and then realized it wouldn't work. We bear the ultimate responsibility for what your father did."

"You said that your people used the machine against the Reapers, but it failed catastrophically." Anya said, reaching out a slow hand to the brilliant form in front of her. "May I?" She asked.

"Go ahead." Obligatha said sadly. "We are not real here. Merely a virtual construct."

"And I am the same way?" Anya asked as she touched the skin of the alien and felt...something. It felt... She paused and then nodded. It felt like many minds buzzing against hers. All concerned. "I... don't understand. If I died... And I _did_ die... I felt my body fail."

"It did as we took control." Obligatha said in a soft, gentle voice. "We healed it as soon as we asserted control, but... Your mind was supposed to transfer to a dormant part of your brain. Instead... You moved. Your mind somehow flowed along the connection to us. We do not know how. The _reason_ we did not detect your mind in _your_ body was that it had transferred to unused storage space in _ours_."

"I..." Anya paused and then looked around. The scene hadn't changed. "I am in the Reaper? I mean, in _you_? I..."

"Yes." Obligatha's voice was whisper soft now. "And it is time to go home, Anya."

"I am dead, Obligatha." Anya said with a shudder. "How can I go home if I am dead?"

"Your body is alive, Anya." Obligatha said with a nod. "Your mind is coherent. We have run every check we can on the data that comprises your mind and believe it is intact, but we do not know. There _is_ a certain amount of risk involved in transferring your mind back. It may not work at all, leaving you trapped here. It may work...partially." The alien form shuddered a bit at that.

"Leaving me a vegetable, or half a person." Anya said slowly. "What... What are the chances?" She asked carefully.

"Scholar believes that with the right preparation and assistance, the odds can be 90% in favor of success." Obligatha said gently. "There is no hurry Anya. I will not allow any harm to come to your physical form. Time passes differently here as well. We could spend centuries in this place and moments will pass outside our body. Or the reverse."

"Crado..." Anya said, her tone longing. "He will need me. And.. the kids?" She asked.

"You have done a marvel, Anya." Obligatha said with awe in it's tone. "Do you know how many eggs you bore?"

"No." Anya said simply. "I never asked. It was... odd. I slept a lot."

"Four eggs per bearing after the first two." Obligatha said quietly. "One week of bearing before they went into tanks. Then more eggs as soon as the old ones were gone. Two _years_ worth of bearing, Anya..." Obligatha's voice was more than awed now. It was star struck. "Two hundred and _six_ eggs, Anya. Half of them female and able to bear in their second year. There are over five _thousand_ Protheans now with others coming. You saved their race. Small _wonder_ they revere you, fought so hard to save you."

"I didn't have anything else to _do_." Anya protested. "Scholar was good company but..." Then she paused and her expression turned horrified. "Wait? They _fought?_" She demanded.

"Yes they did, Anya." Obligatha said sadly. "They hit the front of the station while the Alliance team hit the back."

"How...many...?" Anya said, her hand going to her mouth. "How many died for me?" Obligatha looked away from her and Anya snapped at her. "How _many_, Obligatha?" Anya snarled.

"The Prothean force suffered sixteen dead and twenty three wounded." Obligatha said sadly. "The enemy threw the bulk of their forces, including most of their Atlas mechs, at the Prothean assault. Anya..." The huge alien consoled the human as Anya cried out in shock and grief. "It was _their_ choice. You _gave_ them that choice."

"To _die?_" Anya asked caustically. "Some choice!"

"No." Obligatha said gently. "To try and save one they loved." Anya stared at the huge bug eyed monster and then, with a cry, folded in on herself, sobbing. "Anya... Anya..." Obligatha's voice was gentle. "It's okay. They _demanded_ the right to do what they did, knowing they would take heavy casualties."

"They were _kids_." Anya said heavily. "Just children..."

"They are not any more, Anya." Obligatha said with a smile in her tone. "Be prepared for a shock. Are you ready? Your mate awaits you, Anya." Anya sighed and pulled herself together.

"What's he going to _say_ when he finds out how many kids I have had out of wedlock?" Anya asked her tone somewhere between resignation and whimsy. "_Five_ thousand?"

"Two hundred and six that were yours, Anya." Obligatha corrected her a bit primly. "_They_ had the rest over the last five years. There were...problems from what we understand, but they have thrived."

"Still... Over two hundred kids..." Anya said slowly. "At least they never needed diapers..." She took a deep breath and spoke softly. "What do I do?"

"You are the bravest female we have ever encountered Anya." Obligatha said quietly. "Lie down, here..." It indicated the space between it's forelegs. Anya did as instructed and tried not to tense as the huge head lowered towards hers. "We need to touch our antenna to your head. In actual terms, we need to bridge a connection to the server location your mind is residing in." Anya closed her eyes as the huge head came close enough to touch. "We honor you, Anya Solinus. No matter what happens, _we_ will remember what you have done this day." Anya smiled as two feathery light things touched her scalp and then she was falling into darkness again, but this time, a powerful presence was falling with her. She started to sing softly and the mind with her was singing with her...

'I danced in the water when the world was begun...'


	44. Chapter 44

"What are we doing here?" A young voice asked. "I mean.. Why are we helping the people who hurt dad and killed mom?"

"We are not, Portia." Melissa promised her sister. "We are saving our sister, Anya."

"I don't understand." The nine year old replied hesitantly. "Wasn't she...bad?"

"From our point of view." Kai replied from her spot. "Yes. From _hers_? No."

Portia looked at Kai and shuddered a little, but a hand found hers. She turned her head and looked into Jennifer's eyes. Her next older sibling smiled a bit forlornly. The four siblings were lying on bed that were arranged in a circle around another bed. The heads of tall the beds were facing the one in the middle. On that bed, the glowing form of Anya was laid out. None of the females were restrained and none were afraid. Portia had been terrified at first, when the strange human woman who called herself a Spectre had entered her room and asked her to come. Talking to strangers wasn't something she was supposed to do. But then Jenni had come in and everything had been okay. Well, sort of. The headband that she wore was somewhat uncomfortable, but when Kai, Jenni AND Melissa had all put theirs on without comment or complaint, Portia had not wanted to seem less capable, even if she WAS far younger than any of them. The young girl looked around again, sighing.

"You okay, Portia?" Jenni asked, giving her hand a squeeze. They were close enough to touch, she and Jenni. On the other side, Melissa was close enough as well, but Portia had always been closer to Jenni. Maybe because Jenni was next in age? Even if Jenni _was_ much older, it never bothered Portia much, Jenni had always been nice to her. "I know this is weird."

"What mom and dad did..." Portia said, trying to stifle her tears. "Was wrong." It hurt to say that, but Portia had not been raised in a vacuum. Her sisters had always been around and encouraged her to think, to ask questions, even if their parent most vehemently had not. "It would have killed Anya anyway?" She asked slowly, confirming what she had been told.

"Yes." Jennifer said sadly. "I feared as much. But..." She slumped.

"Mom and dad wouldn't listen." Portia said with a long suffering sigh. "I... I don't know what to think. You all seem to be handling this better than me." She said as tears started falling.

"Yes, we _seem_ to." Melissa said with a sigh. "Scholar, can I get up?" She asked. Portia froze and then relaxed as she remembered that there was a group of people monitoring them from another room. One reason she was distressed. She had never _enjoyed_ being in the spotlight.

"Certainly." The kind voice of the odd looking alien said. "The beds are for your comfort, to relax on. We have _no_ idea how long this will take. You are not confined to them." The alien -everyone called him a Prothean- had freaked Portia out when she had seen him for the first time, but he had been kind, gentle and funny in a self deprecating sort of way. It was _very_ hard to hate or fear him. She kind of liked him now even if he and his troops _had_ attacked the station she had called home. "Just do not remove the headbands. They are Obligatha's guideposts back." He cautioned. "Without those, it and Anya are stuck."

"Thanks Scholar. We won't." Melissa said as she rose. Portia saw Jenni and Kai rise as well, all three came to her bed and sat down on various pieces of it. "Come here, girl." Melissa said as she held out her arms. Portia went into them gratefully. To her horror, the little girl started to cry, but Melissa started rocking her. "So much horror in the last day. I..." Melissa shook her head as she rocked the sobbing girl. "I never _liked_ Mother or Father. But..."

"They were our parents." Kai said from her spot at the foot of the bed. She laid a hand on Portia's offering strength. "Anya was the strongest of us. None of the rest of us tried to run." Jenni looked as if she were going to speak for a moment and then shut her mouth. "Jenni?" Kai prompted.

"Until Anya did..." Jenni said sadly. "They didn't think any of us _could_ break the programming. You know what set her off."

"Yes." Portia replied softly. "You told me. The gardener, Mika?"

"I was starting my medical training at that time." Jenni said sadly. "I was on call with the emergency team. We...found Mika right where Mom had left her. But there was more... I found Anya cowering in the foliage. I could see something different in her eyes, while I treated her wounds, but I had NO idea what it was. We were...not kind to each other. She would have taken ANY kindness then though, even from me." Jenni said in self reproach. "I earned her rage."

"Sister Jenni." Portia said in a tone that belied her years. "It wasn't your fault." Melissa gave her a squeeze and spoke up.

"You were following orders, Jenni." Melissa still wore the armor of a Cerberus Nemesis as she had since being clubbed unconscious by one of the Alliance team during the attack. She was one of the lucky ones. The medical teams that had come in after had been forced to cut her helmet off, but she was pretty much okay otherwise. The _rest_ of the troops hadn't been so lucky for the most part. Some were simply piles of goo. "Kai and I likely would have done the same."

"I _knew_ that mother would hurt her, Melissa..." Jenni protested. "I had _no_ idea how badly, or for how long. I..." Jenni bowed her head in sadness. "I _enjoyed_ it..." She confessed. "I enjoyed hearing my sister scream. I..." She sighed. "For a long time, I blamed her for saying what she did. For getting ME in trouble. For all the docs and shrinks and therapy. But it wasn't her fault."

"I don't understand." Portia said slowly. "WHAT did she say?" The older siblings looked at each other and Portia scowled at them. "What?"

"Portia..." Jenni said slowly. "You are still young, but none of us have been or ever will be innocent. I KNOW how well educated you are. Have you ever heard the term 'gay'?"

"What?" Portia asked, and then her face went distant. "As in emotion or a preference for...?" She broke off and then her face went slack. "Oh... _Oh!_" She exclaimed. "No. Mother would _not_ have liked that." She said in a tone of shock. "Jenni? You?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Jenni said softly. "I won't hurt you, Portia. Ever." She swore quietly. "It's not a sickness. It's the way my body works. I am not attracted to men. And you are _way_ too young for me." She said with a grin. Portia looked at her sister Jennifer for a moment and then with a cry, broke free of Melissa's hands and embraced Jennifer. "Oof! Portia! Have you been putting on weight?" Jennifer asked in a teasing tone.

"I am growing." Portia sad with a smile. "But... why would mother have asked her that? I don't understand."

"I am the reason she ran to the garden, Portia." Jennifer said with a sigh. She smiled as her two other sisters closed in around her. "That was her refuge, her hiding place. I... I made a mistake. I pushed too hard. I was attracted to her and I scared her. She ran off and I had to go back to my work. An hour later, the medical team I was with was called to the garden for an emergency. Mika was barely alive. We stabilized her, got her patched up. But she refused to say _who_ had hurt her. I suspected Mother immediately. The _one_ thing that people of Mika's heritage never did was badmouth family leaders. Then I found Anya. I... I didn't know what to do. I called it in when I got her to the house. Mother came and took her to another room. I heard Anya scream for some time and to my shame, I enjoyed the sound. And then Mother came in and grabbed me. I... I don't remember much of what happened. Anya ran away the next week, before I was let out of my room. Before I could apologize, explain..."

"It wasn't _your_ fault." Portia said staunchly, hugging her sister.

"No." Jennifer said quietly. "And it wasn't Anya's either." She took a deep breath and hugged her smallest sister tight. "Portia, you know...?"

"I know I was made to replace Anya." Portia said slowly. "Mother always made sure I knew that." She said with a scowl.

"Anya was _right_." Melissa said with a matching scowl. "Mother had the maternal instinct of a Vorcha."

"Melissa!" Jennifer snapped, indicating Portia with her eyes, but Portia wasn't listening. "Portia?" She asked, concerned.

"I hear something." Portia said slowly. "If I am genetically her twin, would I hear Anya in my head?" Her tone was confused.

"I don't know." Jennifer asked. The others waited, SHE was the medical professional. "What do you hear?"

"Music?" Portia said softly. "No... Singing. A long ways away. It's a woman's voice, but... it sounds... off... It's not someone I now. But it does sound familiar?" She looked confused. "That makes no sense."

"Can you tell the song?" Jenni asked calmly. "Is it one you know?"

"I think..." Portia spoke hesitantly. "I don't know if I _have_ heard it, but the refrain sounds like 'Dance then, wherever you may be...'. You know it?" She asked as the other three hissed.

"That was Anya's favorite song as a kid." Melissa said slowly as the others looked at Portia. "It's called 'Lord of the Dance'. Do you want to sing it with us, Portia?"

"How will that help?" Portia asked, nodding.

"I don't know." Jenni replied. "Scholar?"

"We need to give her a guide back to her body." The voice of the alien said quietly. "Obligatha may not be able to pull her back alone. Singing something she likes may help." The siblings stiffened as the door opened and two _very_ dissimilar beings entered.

One was a tall Turian who still wore battered combat armor. The other was a small Prothean whose arm was bandaged and bound to her side. They both looked at the siblings who looked at them. Finally Jenni broke the awkward silence.

"Captain Crado?" Jenni asked. Portia stiffened. This was the alien that Anya had married? Or something. The young human hadn't heard a lot about that, she had been stuck in her room while all the exciting things happened.

"Jennifer Wilson-Fuentes..." He stared and broke off as she shook her head. "What?"

"With the exception of Portia here..." She gave Portia a squeeze and the young human returned it, scared. "I think I speak for all of us when I say I am no longer of that family. I don't know who I am or what." Portia stiffened and then, nodded savagely, burying her head in Jenni's chest. Jenni hugged her. "It's okay, Portia, I am NOT going to leave you."

"No one will make you." The odd alien said calmly. It's tone was female and kind, belying the holstered particle rifle and the scarred armor it -she- wore. "I am Lipa, senior surviving NCO of the assault force."

"I am sorry." Melissa said softly. "We didn't know what to do... We followed our orders..."

"It is not your fault." Lipa said kindly. "Not at all. We knew coming in that many of us would not survive. But it needed to be done, so we did it. I am pleased to meet you in something other than battle, Tia Melissa."

"TIA?" Melissa said as all four sisters stiffened in shock. "What do you mean, 'Tia'?" That was Spanish for 'Aunt'.

"I apologize if I have given offense." Lipa said quickly, looking to Crado who shrugged and remained silent. She turned back to the group. "Your sister Anya bore me and many of us into the world. We call her Madre. You are all sisters of our mother, then, yes? Tia would be appropriate, yes?" She asked gently. Melissa stared at the Prothean who smiled. "You wondered WHY you were not slain with the others of the force you were with?" Melissa nodded again, both Kai and Jenni stared at her, dumbfounded. "We did not know WHO you were, Tia Melissa, but we DID feel something familiar from you. We were careful to only subdue you. We took prisoners when we could. But we could not do it all the time." She sighed. "There is little fair in war. Anya taught us that."

"Anya taught you..." Melissa said softly. Lipa nodded and then stiffened in place as Portia rose from her seat and stepped to the floor.

"I was taught that aliens were evil." Portia said slowly. "That I had to be always on guard, to protect myself. But... You say you are family?" She asked incredulously. "How can that be?"

"Love will find a way." Lipa said sadly, looking at Anya's still form. "It started as a clinical experiment in cloning, but it became so much more. Due in no small part to Anya. To Madre..." Was the Prothean crying? Yes! Yes she was! "You are hurting. You have lost so much this day. But you are not alone and you never need to be." The Prothean knelt down to be on the same level as Portia. "We will allow no harm to come to you." She nodded to Kai, Jenni and Melissa who stared. "_Any_ of you. Hermanas de madre...Tias."

"How old are you?" Portia asked carefully, not moving.

"I am five." Lipa said with a smile. Portia goggled at her and Lipa nodded. "Protheans grow faster than humans."

"I have a niece that is four years younger than I am...?" Portia sounded stunned. "This is..." She shook her head, her long brown hair falling out of it's braids. "I dunno."

"You do not have to choose anything now, Portia." Lipa said kindly. "We are giving you information, options, no more."

"Why are you here, now?" Portia asked after a moment of thinking.

"_We_ are here..." Crado Solinus said slowly. "Because Anya loved us and we loved her. Scholar thinks it will help. You were going to sing?" He asked the others who nodded in unison. "She _did_ always like 'Lord of the Dance'." He sighed. "Shall we?"

"_You_ can sing?" Portia was obviously trying NOT to be rude, but her disbelief was plain.

"As long as it is not Dragonforce, sure." Crado said with a grin. "Let see..." He hummed a bar and then his rich bass voice sounded.

'I danced in the morning when the world was young  
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun...'

Portia smiled as she joined in and then the others were singing as well.


	45. Chapter 45

"It isn't working..." Ashley said slowly to the Prothean who was bent over his instruments. "Is it, Scholar?"

"It _is_, Spectre." The ancient being said with a shrug. "Just very slowly. Far more slowly than anticipated." He shook his head at the readouts. "There was a great deal of damage done to Anya's body, by those... _butchers_..." Hate sang in his tone but then he sighed. "And then the machine and what Obligatha did. I knew many soldiers, Spectre Ashley Williams." Scholar said slowly. "Some good, some bad, some pragmatic, some evil. Anya was...different. never a thought for herself." Then he smiled. "Ah, a rise in Alpha and Theta waves. She is coming around."

"Anya is...exceptional. Well beyond even N7 norms." Ashley said slowly. "The only other person I have ever met that was that way was Shepard."

"You don't need to tell me. I found her floating in a tank with half her skull blown away." Scholar replied quietly. "And _still_ her first thoughts on waking were of others. Her _very _first words were 'My team! Where is my team?' She does not remember that." Scholar shook his head sadly. "She is the bravest, noblest and most selfless being I have _ever_ met."

"You never met Shepard." Williams said with a sigh. "But... yeah. They were _very_ alike. Both driven to be far more than they were." Her face turned slightly sick. "Can you do anything?" She nodded to the monitor. At a particular spot ont he monitor that showed Anya's abdomen. It was rimed in red, denoting internal injuries.

"No." Scholar said sadly. "I did what I could to undo the Lost Ones' manipulation. Anya and I both knew that the damage to her body was essentially irreversible. The physical damage was done and healed before I found her." His tone held regret now. "She asked me to see if she could bear _one_ more child, a Turian child. I..." Scholar looked off into space for a moment. "After everything she did for my people, not only bearing the young, but _teaching_ them things like duty and honor... I did what I could. Only to have a ham handed Cerberus slime rip her apart... It hurts me, seeing that. Knowing that she _had_ a child with the one she loved and her birth mother just tore it out and _killed_ it." His tone was filled with hate again and Spectre Williams looked at him then at the other form in the room who nodded.

"Calm down, Scholar." The form clad in archaic looking armor said calmly. "What is done, is done. You and she have done marvels for our people. I wish I had met her, before."

"If you had been there when Cerberus attacked, Javik..." Ashley said soberly. "Anya would not have been taken." The _other_ ancient Prothean left in the galaxy nodded to Williams.

"Perhaps." Javik said calmly. "Perhaps not. She fought well enough that the team had to retreat without taking any of the children anyway, which was her intent. We looked for her for years. We knew the Cerberus ship had dropped her, but not _where_." His tone was calm, but regret hovered deep inside it. "We failed her."

"You are _not_ the being I knew. The one Shepard found on Eden Prime." Ashley said slowly. "Not... the same."

"No." Javik confirmed. "My body died when I touched the Reaper and tried to corrupt it's minds. But Scholar here is nothing if not determined." He said with a smile. Scholar shrugged and returned to his instruments. "He recovered my body and brought me back. And with the end of the war, with the changes... My reason for existence vanished. What is the _point_ of vengeance on something that _agrees_ with you that what happened is wrong and wants to help make things better if it can? My hate and desire for vengeance was strong, but... It did have limits." He asked. "But I found a new cause."

"Anya's kids." Ashley said slowly. "I still don't understand. You told Shepard that you were going to find that nebula? Find the graves of your men and then kill yourself?" Javik looked at her and she flushed a little. "I read Shepard's journals, later. _Much_ later."

"I went to the nebula." Javik said calmly. "I found a Reaper destroyer there. I was... upset. It attempted conversation and I did not handle it well." Ashley stared at him and he shrugged. "I make no apology for who and what I was."

"I..." Ashley shook her head. "A destroyer?"

"Yes." Javil said with a sigh. "Apparently _someone_..." He cast a meaningful glance at Scholar who remained silent. "Had been looking for me across the extranet for some time. The Reapers had been curious about the patterns of data searches. So they _also_ started seeking me. I wanted to be alone."

"To die." Ashley said slowly. Javik nodded. "So the story of you touching the Reaper and dying...?"

"...Is _mostly_ true." Javik replied evenly. "I _did_ touch it. I did fall into a comatose state. I _did_ wake up with Scholar bending over me. I...did _not_ react well." Scholar winced and Ashley looked from him to Javik, a question in her eyes. "What was I _supposed_ to think?" Javik demanded. "He was wearing Collector armor!"

"Oh." Ashley winced at that. "Yeah...How did he... um... Not have you kill him?"

"The Lost Ones never spoke unless possessed." Javik said soberly. "When Scholar did, it shocked me into lucidity. Then he touched me and I saw..." Javik slumped. "He may have been a fool and a traitor, but he and his colleagues _did_ slow the invasion. _That_ alone is worthy of respect, but _then_ he reformed our race. Made it different." Javik looked thoughtful. "For better or worse, I cannot say."

"Coming from an Exemplar..." Scholar said slowly. "That is high praise."

"So when you got back to the ship..." Ashley said slowly.

"The _Reaper_ asked if it could remain in touch. I... I didn't know what to say so I said 'yes'. But when we returned... Anya was gone." Scholar said heavily. "The Cerberus scum had hurt her badly to take her and we gave chase. We could track it until they discarded the suit she had been wearing. We continued to chase the ship, and Javik taught the children how to fight."

"I did not have to teach them much." Javik said softly. "Anya's teachings were most thorough. And...I found nothing I could teach them of revenge. They _watched_ her fight, they watched the being they called their mother -helpless to aid her- be beaten to within an inch of her life and taken from them. Their rage... changed me." Ashley looked at him and he shrugged. "Vengeance was all I was, for so long. Seeing those young ones, -some less than a month old!- ready to charge the very gates of hell itself to gain revenge for their Madre was...disturbing."

"I can see how it would be." Ashley replied quietly. "So..."

"I organized the young ones into a military hierarchy and taught them what I knew." Javik said slowly, then he sighed. "I _fully_ expect Anya to hurt me for doing so badly in this attack. We knew their defenses would be strong, but...None of us expected this."

"This was their cell's main headquarters." Ashley said with a shrug. "Stood to reason that the defenses would be tougher here than just about anywhere else. Which is why we decided on the plan. You held their attention and I snuck in the back. Then Obligatha and your ship showed up. What do you call it? No one has said."

"We call it the _Redemption_." Javik said softly. But his gaze was on the screen, and his eyes were narrowed as he looked at the scene.

"Oh." Williams said with a smile. "I see." Then she paused as she realized he had tensed. "Javik? What?"

"Scholar, did you touch the youngest of Anya's siblings -Portia- when you and Williams found her?" Javik asked suddenly, his tone _very_ different suddenly. Hard and capable. Scholar turned to look at him but Javik did not move. "It is important."

"No." Scholar replied evenly. "She was terrified. She asked if I had killed her parents. I said 'No'. But she did not trust me."

"Did you?" Javik asked Williams who looked blank but nodded. "May I touch you, Spectre Ashley Williams?"

"Your sensory ability won't work on _her_ without touching her, will it?" Williams asked slowly. "What will touching ME do?"

"There will be residual DNA on your gloves, and anywhere else she touched." Javik said slowly. "Something about that young one is _bothering_ me and I have _no_ idea why. Did you find anything out of place in her quarters?"

"It was a human child's room, Javik." Ashley said with a sigh. "It was a mess. If there _were_ things hidden in it, they would have been _very_ hard to find." She held out her gloved hand to the Prothean who nodded and took it. He stiffened as his senses parsed what he could feel on her glove.

"Fear." Javik said slowly. "Pain. Helplessness." He let her hand go and stepped back slowly, his eyes lidded as he thought. "Anger?" He said, unsure. "No..." He corrected himself. "_Imposed_ anger." His eyes went wide as Ashley gasped. "Spectre! Cerberus brainwashes people into puppets. Could they have done that to her?"

"I want to say 'No'." Williams said manifestly against her will. "But they _have_ used children as living weapons in the past. Either carrying charges of high explosives, hidden weapons or... sleeper agents." She blinked, and her expression turned horrified. "You think they did that to Portia?"

"I do." Javik said quietly, his hand reaching up to his back and coming down with his particle rifle. Ashley raised hand in protest and Javik sighed. "I do _not_ wish to slay a child, Spectre Williams. But right now, that child -that time bomb- is sitting in the middle of a group of potential hostages, singing." He nodded towards the screen. "And Anya is about to wake."

"If _we_ go in there..." Williams said slowly. "We may set off whatever programming the girl received. Cerberus sleeper agents are _dangerous_, Javik." She said with feeling.

"Agreed." Javik replied slowly. His hands checked his rifle with the trained ease of long familiarity. "So what _can_ we do?"

"We might be able to undo her programming." Scholar said with a frown as he turned back to the others. "The room is shielded. Obligatha will release control of Anya's form as Anya wakes and the energy discharge will affect everyone in the room."

"Wait..." Ashley snapped. "Crado and Lipa! Won't _they_ be affected?" Scholar and Javik exchanged a look. Javik sighed.

"Commanding Lipa to leave will not work. She is a fully trained combat medic and she is... Well..." Javik shrugged. "She must have gotten the insubordination from _you_, Scholar." Javik said with a strained smile.

"I don't know." Scholar replied, his fingers flying over the keys. "Anya had a way of thinking _around_ rules on occasion too. Crado won't leave her. And... what the-?" He stared at his screen where words were flashing.

"Scholar?" Ashley said and then froze. "No... fucking... way..." Javik just stared.

On the screen were four words.

'Do not interfere.'

"Is that from Obligatha?" Ashley asked softly her tone worried. "I thought it was busy."

"It _is_." Scholar replied slowly as he hit keys rapidly. "That is _not_ from Obligatha. I cannot determine WHERE it came from. There are no traces. It is as if... it came from _inside_ this computer. But that makes no sense." Javik looked from the Spectre to the teacher and then, reached out and touched the side of the computer. He froze in place for a moment and then a slow smile curved his lips.

"Javik?" Williams demanded.

"My sensory ability was changed with the rest of me. I can 'feel' computer systems sometimes. This is out of our league, Spectre." Javik said slowly. "Powers are at play here _far_ beyond ours. I had wondered what woke you, Scholar."

"What?" Scholar asked, nonplussed at the apparent change in subject. "I have no idea."

"I _do_. Now." Javik said softly as he stepped back and slung his rifle. "I just sensed something familiar. Something that I have not felt in years. A presence that I cannot in any way explain. I felt it on the pod you slept in. A pod of the exact same design as the one 'I' slept in. It isn't supposed to be possible. But then again... She never _did_ play by _anyone's_ rules but her own." He actually _winked_ at Williams who looked flabbergasted.

"No... bloody...way...?" Williams said slowly. "_Shepard?_" She demanded.

"I do not know." Javik admitted. "All I have is a feeling. But the feeling is familiar and the last time I felt it was in London before the final attack." He leaned back against the wall and nodded. "It is not... her. I feel no sense of intelligence or recognition." He said after a moment. "But it _does_ feel like her."

"The Catalyst said that her essence would be disseminated throughout the galaxy." Williams said slowly. "Kind of like Legion did to save the Geth. Geth have found remnants of Legion's code throughout their networks. The bits are apparently drawn to one another, but never can coalesce into the Geth we knew. _Could_ Shepard be the same? Bits and pieces of her coming together?" Javik and Ashley looked at Scholar who shrugged.

"I do not know." The Prothean medical specialist said slowly. "I never knew Shepard. I suppose it is possible, but..." He froze. "Anya is waking. What should we do?"

"Bring Lipa up to speed." Williams said to Javik who nodded and hit his com before talking softly to his subordinate. Williams tapped her own com. "Crado... We have a problem..."


	46. Chapter 46

She was finally warm again. Obligatha had been kind and supportive throughout this entire ordeal. It hadn't ever _hurt_, mind you. But it had been VERY strange to FEEL her mind moving in ways that the human mind simply wasn't equipped for.

{Anya?} The voice of the Reaper was concerned. {Are you awake?}

{Sort of.} Anya replied in the same odd -but familiar- mind to mind communication. {I think. I am warm. Am I back in my body?}

{Yes.} Obligatha said calmly. {But there is a complication.}

{Of _course_ there is.} Anya said sourly. {When is there ever _not?_} She sighed. {Anything I can help with?}

{We do not know.} Obligatha said, worried. {Your youngest sibling...You know about her.}

{Some.} Anya admitted. {I haven't met her.}

{She...} Obligatha sounded upset now. {Your mother and father created her with your DNA.} Anya froze, but did not interrupt. {There is some question as to whether she has been programmed by Cerberus.}

{Programmed?} Any asked slowly. {To do what?}

{We do not know.} Obligatha replied uneasily. {As weak as you are, she _could_ kill you even with your other siblings in the room. Why WOULD they program a child? It would serve no reason.}

{No.} Anya said slowly. {There is _always_ a reason for things. Maybe not a _sane_ reason by our standards, but a reason. What can we do?}

{Spectre Williams and Scholar want to sequester her, scan her. Knock her out if needed and deprogram her.} Disapproval sang in the Reaper's tone now. {We do not like that idea.}

{Without her consent?} Anya demanded. {Like _hell_ they will!} Anya snapped. {Wake me up!} She said, her tone hardening.

{Anya.} Obligatha said slowly. {You need to ease into it...}

{Obligatha...please...} Anya said softly. {I know what to do. I don't know _how_ I do, but I do. When you release control, the energy will pulse, won't it?}

{Yes, but not immediately...} The Reaper said slowly. {How do you know that?} The Reaper was curious.

{I dunno.} Anya replied. {But it is time my siblings and I rejoined the rest of the human race. If she _is_ programmed, I know what to do. I need you to send a specific signal to a certain set of coordinates.}

{Okay.} Obligatha replied softly. {Count backwards with me... Ten...Nine... Eight...} Anya joined in and felt..._something_ happen. She couldn't define it exactly, but by the time she reached three, she could hear singing in the distance. Then it was right at hand and she smiled as she felt Obligatha's mind caress hers. **"Releasing control of this form."**

Anya coughed as she slammed back into her body.

"Anya?" Crado asked, his voice coming closer.

"Crado, get back!" Anya snapped. "Lipa, shield him!" She opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bed, surrounded by her siblings. Three she knew and one, far younger, she did not. Her eyes suddenly glistened. She saw Crado standing at the wall, a blue sphere of energy surrounding him from the hurt Prothean form that stood nearby. "Lipa..." She said slowly. "Can you hold it?"

"I can, Madre." Lipa replied evenly.

"What is going on?" The young girl asked, uncertain. Anya focused on her with difficulty.

"Good morning... I think..." Anya said with a half grin as she sat up on the bed and then startled, pulled the sheet that had covered her up to cover everything. Apparently no one had bothered to clothe her after the medic had disrobed her. "You are Portia?"

"I am." The girl said slowly, staring at Anya. "Your eyes and skin are glowing."

"Oh?" Anya asked concerned. Then she looked at herself and nodded. "Must have been a side effect of Obligatha's possession. I don't want to scare you, Portia. But I am scared _for_ you."

"_Me?_" The girl squeaked. "Why?"

"Anya?" Kai asked softly. "What...?"

"Kai, Jenni, Melissa, don't move." Anya cautioned. "We are _all_ in danger." Portia stiffened as she realized that Anya was just looking at her.

"_From me?_" The girl demanded. "I would never hurt my sisters! And... How _could_ I hurt Kai, or Melissa? You and Jenni are not armored, but the others?"

"I don't know what your parents did to you, Portia." Anya said sadly. "Knowing your mother, nothing good. Jenni? Were you involved in anything that was done to Portia?"

"No." Jenni said, unsure. "I was a different area. Anya? What?" She asked.

"The Protheans 'feel' something wrong in you, Portia." Anya said slowly. The others in the room looked at Lipa who nodded. "But... Jenni?"

"Yes, Anya?" Jenni asked, concern for her elder sister and her younger evident on her face.

"You have run a gene scan on Portia, yes?" Anya asked slowly. Jenni stared at her and then gasped. "She needs to know."

"How do _you_ know?" Jenni snapped, distressed. "Did the Reaper tell you?"

"Yes." Anya said slowly. Then she held out a slow hand to Portia. "I can help. I will help, but it won't _undo_ whatever your mother did to you." She sighed. "Whatever it _was_, was my fault."

"What do you mean?" Portia asked quietly, eying the hand without moving.

"You were created to replace me, Portia." Anya said sadly. "After I ran away and supposedly died. I can only assume that there were plans in place before that to kidnap me and use me in the machine against my will before the Reapers showed up." Anya looked at Kai who looked sick, but nodded. "If I hadn't run, you would not have been created, suffered what you have."

"What do you mean?" Portia asked, fear etching her features.

"Don't _tell_ me Karinlina didn't hurt you, girl." Anya said, tears welling. "Don't even try. Come here..." She begged, holding her hand out a little farther. Kai and Melissa stared at the two of them, but Jenni sighed and nodded. "I can help you, daughter..."

"_Daughter?_" The exclamation came from several throats. Every eye in the room but Anya's spun to Jenni who hadn't spoken. Anya did not take her eyes off Portia.

"I..." Jenni shook her head. "I couldn't say anything without them hurting you. Portia. I am sorry." The medic slumped in place.

"It's not Jenni's fault." Anya said in a whisper soft voice. "It's not _your_ fault, Portia. They created you from _my_ DNA, to replace me after I 'died'." She made quotes in the air around the word 'died'. "I _can_ help, Portia. Please... Let me help?" She begged again.

"You can't." Portia said sadly. "It hurts... Even now, it hurts..." She shook her head. "I... I can't... The voices... They are saying to... to..."

"I _can_ help, Portia." Anya said into the horrified silence that fell. "Well, not _me_... This isn't something I have ever told _anyone_. Not even Scholar, but I _do_ know someone who _can_ help. I can ease you until _she_ can get here." Crado stared at Anya and she sighed. "I gave my word, Crado. But _she_ gave me permission to use my best judgment. She didn't have to. She could have commanded me and I would have obeyed. As powerful as I am, I am a child compared to her."

"Who?" Came from several throats.

"A friend I met once on a solo op." Anya said and then sighed. "She knows more about mind problems than any four or five shrinks put together. But it _will_ take time for her to get here, wherever here is. Where are we anyway?" She asked, curious.

"This is a Cerberus space station in the Omega Nebula." Kai responded when the others looked at her. "Well, it _was_. Now? I dunno."

"it's home." Portia's voice was small. "Why did you call me your daughter? I... You are _not_ my mother."

"I did not bear you into the world." Anya said sadly. "And now... I can't bear children ever again." Portia hissed in horror, horror joined by Mellissa and Kai. All three of Anya's siblings looked at Jenni who nodded sadly. "Your birth mother ripped the child I had created with my husband from my belly. In doing so, she hurt me, very badly. But the worse damage was from before. When I died on Sanctum."

"You were shot." Portia said slowly. Anya nodded and Portia continued. "I...heard...things..."

"The life of a soldier is neither easy nor safe." Anya sad gently. "I knew that when I joined, and I accepted it. I do _not_ like it, mind you." She said with a sigh. "But _someone_ has to do the hard jobs. Like helping you. Please...?" Portia looked at Anya's still outstretched hand and then, with a frown of concentration, reached out and took it. Anya gave a squeeze and pulled Portia's unresisting form close to her. The girl gave a squeak of surprise as Anya embraced her.

"Wha-?" Portia said and then slowly relaxed. Then she realized that Anya was crying. "Anya? Why are you crying?"

"I can feel your pain, daughter." Anya said through her tears. "You cannot feel mine. I want to share what I feel with you, but I have no _right_ to do anything to you against your will. I wasn't here for you. I wasn't able to guard you, guide you or help you at _all_..." Self recrimination sang in Anya's tone as she hugged Portia tight.

"You are not my mother..." Portia said , slowly relaxing into the embrace.

"No." Anya said as she gently stroked Portia's hair, inhaling the scent of the younger female. "If anything, since I only provided DNA, I would be your father according to science." Portia stared at her and Anya grinned. "But _that_ would be too weird for words." Portia surprised herself with a laugh and then the girl was crying. "Easy, Portia... Easy...Shh..." Anya crooned as the girl sobbed in her arms. "It's okay, girl... It will be okay now."

"I want to feel you! Don't let them hurt me again!" Portia cried as Anya held her. "I am _sick_ of hurting..."

"Portia..." Jenni's voice was horrified. "_Who_ hurt you?" She moved to come closer and Anya warned her not to with her eyes. She froze in place, her desire to help warring with her concern for her sibling.

"Men in white." Portia said through her tears. "Mom. Dad. They put _things_ on my head and I couldn't move! They hurt.. Oh my _god_ they hurt..." Tears were falling in streams as Anya pulled the sobbing girl up into her lap and rocked her gently, ignoring the sheet that fell. "I am sorry..." Portia said through her tears.

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry for, daughter." Anya said gently as she rocked Portia. "If you want to sleep, you can. I will be here." She paused and looked at Lipa who nodded. "You are _not_ alone. Anyone who tried to hurt you again will have to go through me."

"_Us_." Lipa snapped harshly, her face angry. Then she smiled and her face turned soft. "I haven't had a _human_ sister. I hope you don't mind if I appropriate you as such."

"And here I was just getting used to being your aunt..." Portia said with a smile that faltered as Anya rocked her. "Help? I can feel the commands... They want me to hurt you... Anya... No.. I won't! I won't!" Portia screamed. "_Help!_"

"Jenni?" Anya begged. "A sedative?"

"Good idea." Jenni said quietly as she came close, her hands flying on her omni tool. "You need to sleep, Portia. We will help you. Make you better. Okay?" In answer, Portia held out her left shoulder. "Good girl..." Jenni crooned as she injected the drug into Portia's arm. In moment's Portia's sobs tapered off as she lost consciousness. "Madre de _Dios_..." She cursed softly.

"Agreed." Anya said, hoisting Portia's limp weight until the girl lay on the bed beside her. "Thank you all. I... Oh Jenni..." She held out her hands and her younger sister embraced her. "I am _so_ sorry...For being a stupid brat."

"Apology accepted, sis." Jennifer said quietly. "_If_ you accept mine."

"Fair enough." Anya said with a sigh as she hugged Jennifer again. "We were _both_ young and stupid. Kai? Melissa?" She looked at her other sisters who nodded. "I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt any of you. Crado..." Her expression faltered as she looked towards her husband, but he was smiling.

"You think she will mind having a Turian stepdad?" Crado asked. "And you need to do something, don't you?" Anya nodded.

"Jenni? Kai? Melissa?" Anya asked. "I have to do this soon, but I will _not_ do it against your will. It was done to everyone when the Crucible fired, except those of us who were shielded. Scholar and myself in pods on the Collector ship."

"Myself and Kai were with the family here." Melissa said slowly as she rose from her seat on the bed she had been sitting on and moved to stand beside Anya's. "I don't know about you, Kai, but I am _sick_ of being alone." She held out a hand to Anya who took it. Kai came close and hugged Melissa before taking Anya's same hand in both of hers.

"I was in a Faraday cage." Jenni said softly. "Working. I had _no_ idea what happened, just that the power failed momentarily. I... I am scared." She admitted. "But we are family." She laid her hands on top of Kai's and smiled at Anya. "I _hope_ you know what you are doing, sis."

Instead of answering, Anya laid her free hand on Portia's brow, tilted her head back and smiled. A rush of power flowed through her from outside, coating all four of her siblings in a wash of green energy. When she opened her eyes, her siblings met her serene expression with startled ones. Jenni, Melissa and Kai all had glowing eyes now. Looking down at Portia's sleeping face, Anya saw the faint tracing of circuitry on the skin. Kai spoke up first.

"Wow..." The eldest of Anya's siblings said in wonder. "This is...I feel..."

"Complete." Anya said quietly. Kai nodded, stunned.

"So... What just happened?" Jenni asked. "Did our DNA framework just get altered?"

"Yes." Anya said gently. "We are _all_ part synthetic now. Come on, lets get Portia to a bed and then we can explain, and _hopefully_ get some help for her. I have _no_ idea how long it will take my friend to get here though."

"And _who_ is this?" Crado asked carefully. "You never said _anything_ about someone who could do things like that. Asari can't, can they?"

"Maybe they can. But I _know_ my friend can. She specialized in mental problems." Anya said with a shrug as she rose and then paused. "Can I get some clothes please?" She asked somewhat snidely as Crado smirked. "_You_ might enjoy the view, but everyone else likely won't. I need a shower." Jenni looked at her and Anya wagged a finger at her. "Not a _word_, sis. Not a word..." She warned.

"I'm just... going to stand over here." Jenni said with a grin as she rose and walked to the side. Lipa brought forward a bundle of clothes for Anya. When the Prothean retreated, Jenni stage whispered. "Enjoying the view..." Melissa and Kai both snickered at Anya's expression. Crado made a face and held up the sheet, covering Anya as his wife started to change. Jenni pouted. "Spoilsport..."

"Mine." Crado said in a no nonsense tone.

"You say that now." Jenni said with a sigh. "But you know... we could..." She broke off as Anya pulled the sheet down a little and glowered at her. Anya cast her eyes at the slumbering form on the bed. Jenni blanched. "Right. Oops." Anya smiled as she finished dressing in the shirt and trousers that Lipa had brought for her.

"Let's _not_ shock our little sister any more than we _have_, okay?" Anya said as she lifted the slumbering form gently into her arms. Portia made soft noise and snuggled close to Anya in her sleep. "She is hardly an innocent. But it makes me feel better." Anya said quietly. "Where to, Jenni?"

"I think..." Jenni said slowly. "A regular room. Is that hospital ship on the way?"

"They are." Crado said calmly as he stood towards the door. "ETA nine hours."

"Good." Jenni said with a snarl. "I don't know about Melissa or Kai, but I am SICK of this place." The other two nodded as well. "Let's get Portia settled, she will sleep for a while."

Anya nodded as she carried her human daughter from the room, her husband and sisters at her side and her Prothean daughter bringing up the rear.


	47. Chapter 47

**A standard hospital room, two hours later**

"Damn them..." Jenni muttered under her breath as she worked her scanners. "Damn them _all_ to hell...I had no idea those scum were doing this... Leave _me_ out of the loop, will they? I'll kill them!"

"Jenni." Anya said from her spot by Portia's bed. She hadn't left her sister's/daughter's side and even now had a hand resting gently on the slumbering girl's limp right one. "What they did is _not_ your fault."

She and Jennifer were the only two in the room and the surveillance had been deactivated. Kai and Melissa were off talking to Spectre Williams, Crado had gone to sleep at Anya's insistence and Lipa had gone back to her siblings. The Protheans were tearing the station apart to find intel to give to the Alliance and Council. What they _had_ found so far shocked Scholar, and that took some doing.

"I was supposed to be the head medic." Jennifer complained. "I _know_ Cerberus is secrets within secrets, but I was _supposed_ to be in charge. This..." She waved towards the screen with a grimace. "This cybernetic augmentation is far more extensive than I was led to believe. I know mom was evil, but..."

"For control?" Anya asked cautiously. Jenni nodded savagely and Anya sighed. "Can you disable it?"

"_Some_ of it." Jennifer said with a snarl. "Not all. The actual control chip is encrypted and booby trapped! Makes you wonder _who_ they were trying to keep out of her head. The Alliance or her family?'

"Jennifer..." Anya said slowly, her sister perking up at the odd tone. "Can you stay with Portia? I need to...talk to that medic and Mr. Wilson Fentes." Jennifer froze and then she smiled evilly. "Talk only." Anya said calmly.

"Party pooper." Jennifer said with a sigh. "Thank you for not blowing my cover."

"I think Kai at least has figured out you are more than you seem." Anya said with a sigh. "You know more than you should."

"Yeah." Jennifer slumped in place, her face falling. "Ten years, Anya. Ten _years_ I have been stuck out here with only Chris and Vincent for company. We faked a threesome relationship. They are good people, but... I couldn't..." She shuddered and Anya looked at her oddly.

"Jennifer...?" Anya said slowly. "How long since you had a partner?" Her voice was somewhere between kind and horrified.

"I was supposed to be cured." Jenni said heavily. "Part of my cover. I... I couldn't..."

"Jennifer." Now horror was total in Anya's voice as she rose and walked to where her sister sat at the room's terminal. "How long?" Jennifer mumbled something and Anya sighed. "Jennifer?" She asked, laying a hand on Jenni's shoulder.

"Never." Jennifer said in an undertone. Anya exhaled in shock. "I never have, okay?" She snapped. "The therapies were...rough."

"No." Anya said sourly. "No, it is _not_ okay. Feel my mind, sister. What do you feel?" Jennifer stared at Anya and her glowing eyes went distant. Then she burst into tears as she accessed what Anya was sending at her. The rage, fear, compassion, concern... Anya pulled Jennifer up and held her as the younger woman sobbed. "Oh Jenni..." She said, tears starting to fall in sympathy. "I am sorry."

"Never thought..." Jenni gasped out. "Wasn't interested. But then I saw you again... And... I... I can't..."

"You are still in love with _me?_" Anya said slowly, feeling her sister's mind as it fumbled at her's, still untrained in such things. "Oh Jenni, what did they do to you?" Jennifer calmed herself and spoke in an almost even tone.

"Chemical suppressants. Hypno therapy. Gender reassessment surgery. Electroshock..." Jenni paused as Anya hissed and hugged her tight. "Nothing... Nothing worked. I left the plantation to find a place to kill myself. And then Alliance Intelligence found me. They gave me a drug that dampened my... my..."

"I understand." Anya said softly. "And when you went home?"

"I was punished." Jenni replied. "And then I 'found' the drug on the extranet and was rewarded for 'finding a cure'. Cure..._Ha!_" She snorted.

"You _are_ sick, Jennifer." Anya said softly. "But not that way. Humans are not _meant_ to be celibate. And _certainly_ not for that long."

"I know." Jennifer agreed. "Long term, there are complications that set in. I... Sis, I never..."

"I know." Anya said softly, giving her younger sister another hug. "I am not that way, Jenni. But I know people who _are_. People I trust. _Some_ are even human."

"Um..." Jennifer flushed. "Asari?"

"A couple, yeah." Anya said with a grin that quickly turned into a frown. "Now, before you either back away or freeze, Asari are neither gods nor demons. They are people, just like humans. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent. The ones I knew were good for the most part. Cold at first, but when they get to know you, they open up a little. A couple of them were VERY cold, all the time. But ti was just how they were. Even among their own people."

"Did you ever... um...?" Jennifer broke off, her face heating again.

"No." Anya said quietly. "I was supposed to be in command. I... Um..." She sighed. "I didn't know what I was doing any more than I did when I was 17." Anya said with a scowl of memory. "It took Crado awhile to get through to me. I am glad he did, I was falling off the deep end."

"I am glad too." Jennifer said with a small smile. "My older sister has always been insane, but I don't want her _really_ insane."

"Wouldn't have been good, no." Anya agreed. Then she paused. "You know..." She mused. "I think I may have solved _two_ problems with one call. Maybe."

"Hmmm?" Jenni asked, stepping back and scrutinizing The med readouts next to Portia's bed. They hadn't wanted to put too much gear in the room, but simple monitors were silent and unobtrusive.

"The call I sent went to a...um...friend of my friend." Anya said with a sigh. "Its complicated. But she is essentially a translator for my friend. You will like her." She sighed. "_Can_ you stay with Portia? I do _not_ want her left alone."

"She will be out a while from the last dose of sedative." Jenni said softly, her expression disgusted. When Portia had woken from the first dose, she had done so screaming. It had taken Anya and Jenni twenty minutes to calm Portia enough to sedate her again. The girl had been so tense the drug wouldn't have penetrated her skin. "But I will stay with her." She smiled at Anya as Anya withdrew a step and then paused as Jenni made an uncomfortable noise. "Um, Anya... _Do_ I want to know _who_ you called as an expert in mind problems?"

"Her name translates as 'C-flat Viridian. I call her 'C'." Anya said with a shrug. Jenni stared at her sister blankly for a moment and then hissed. "If you know what that name signifies, then you understand _why_ I was circumspect." Jenni nodded quickly.

"I have _no_ idea how Kai or Melissa will react to that." Jenni admitted. "Me? If it helps Portia, and maybe us...That is a good thing." Jenni said dubiously. "I _know_ dear old dad did things in my head. Kai and Melissa too. The therapies and drugs stopped a lot of whatever dad and mom did to me, but Melissa and Kai are a mess. And the translator?"

"Her name is Illia Jolisa." Anya said with a smile. "She is Asari."

"Uh..." Jenni stammered a little. "And she will... what?"

"When I knew her she was kind and gentle and I _doubt_ ten years have changed that. She was seven hundred when I knew her." Anya said with a smirk at Jenni's expression. "We... Well... it was a mess." Whatever Jenni was going to say was cut off by a scream from the bed. "_Portia!_" Anya snapped as she ran back to the bedside. Portia was crying and writhing, but not awake. "Damn it!" Anya cursed. "Natural nightmare or imposed?" She asked Jenni.

"Imposed." Jenni snapped, working her omni tool. "What the...? Where the _hell_ is this signal coming from?" Anya looked at the display and hissed.

{Obligatha!} Anya snapped in her mind. She hadn't lost the connection when she woke, and now was glad of it. {Have you been monitoring?}

{We have.} The Reaper's voice was flat and angry.

{I am bringing Jenni in, be careful with her. She isn't sure if _she_ has controls in place.} Anya said. A wordless agreement came from the Reaper and Anya spoke aloud. "Jenni, give me your hand." Jennifer jerked a little, but then extended her hand in silence. Anya took it and spoke in her mind {Jenni, meet Obligatha. Obligatha, Jenni.}

{We have... _Whoa!_} Jenni staggered a little, but then recovered. "{We talked a little while it searched for you.}

{Ah, good.} Anya smiled. {Obligatha. _someone_ on base is trying to control Portia. Can you block the signal?}

{We can.} Obligatha said sharply. {And... it is done.} Portia jerked in the bed and then relaxed back into sleep. {Damn them. Not a child!} hate stabbed through both female's minds.

{Obligatha, please... calm down.} Anya pleaded. {We are _all_ angry, but that _hurt_.} She said as she saw Jenni crying a little as well.

{Oh, Anya... Jenni We are sorry...} Obligatha was suddenly apologetic. {Here... This will help.} A waft of energy soaked through their minds, seeking the pain centers and numbing them. {We do not mean to be angry, but... it is _not_ a good thing for something like us to love, Anya... It is not...} The Reaper sounded abject now.

{I disagree.} Jennifer said before Anya could. {You are what you are. Love is _not_ always a blessing, but we _are_ made stronger for it. And you are _not_ alone. You saved my sister, and all of us. I hope you don't mind if I call _you_ sister too?} Shock came from the Reaper and then a wave of tenderness.

{We...} Obligatha broke off and then spoke again. {We would be honored. Jennifer.} The Reaper paused and then spoke softly. {We are tracing the signal. It originates on the station.}

{Where?} Jennifer and Anya snapped as one. The two siblings shared look of complete understanding and then Jennifer nodded and sat by Portia's bedside.

{Still tracking. It is rerouted several times. You should not communicate this way too much.} Obligatha said slowly. {Emergencies aside, it depletes many vital nutrients from your bodies. You will feel _very_ lethargic in the near future, Jennifer. We recommend a mild stimulant and an energy drink. Anya... well...} Anya sighed.

"I am hardly human anymore, Jenni." Anya said sadly. "Between what your mom and dad did to me as a kid, what the Alliance training did to me, what the Collectors did to me, what _Scholar_ did to me and all this..." She waved around indicating the station as a whole and her face turned sad. "I am... not... human...anymore."

"Yes, you are." Jennifer said calmly from her seat. "You are _far_ more human than Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Fuentes _ever_ were."

"Casting aside the family you knew _hurts_, Jennifer." Anya cautioned as she started for the door. "Be _very_ sure." Jennifer looked at Portia's pinched and drawn face, scared and in pain even in sleep and then at Anya. Her eyes said the entire story. Anya bowed her head. "It will hit you at odd times, sister. Any time you _think_ you have dealt with it, it _will_ come back. Even now, I find myself pining for mom on occasion. Even though Nanny Sara was more maternal than the woman who bore me into the world could _ever_ be."

Jennifer sighed as well, but did not speak. Instead, she laid her hand on Portia's as Anya's had been and sat quietly. Anya nodded and opened for the door. She paused at the sight that greeted her. A Prothean carrying a bundle of gear.

"Obligatha is tracking the signal." The Prothean was _not_ one she knew. "We figure you would want to be geared up."

"You are Javik." Anya's soft words were not a question but the Prothean nodded. "I never met you when you worked with Shepard." She took the bundle and smiled as another door opened nearby. Her kids were _nothing_ if not thorough. "Let me get ready. Won't take long."

"I will be here." Javik said, unholstering his particle rifle and standing ready. Anya nodded and moved to the single bed. In moments she had her tunic and pants off. With the skill of long training, she had the N7 armor on in a matter of less than a minute. The omni-tool was an Alliance standard Nexus IX. Not the greatest, but not the worst by a long shot either. The helmet with attached mask came last and then the holstered Eagle pistol. She pulled it clear and examined it before smiling. It was one of hers. _Someone_ had been _very_ thorough. Everything here was hers. She shook herself to check and nothing rustled or clanked. She smiled again, this time evilly. Only after all her gear was in place did she start the mental sequence to power up her amp. The biotic power flowed through her and she smiled grimly under her mask as she felt whole for the first time in...years. She stalked to the door and it hissed open. Javik stared at her, stunned. "Uh.."

"Let's find who is hurting my sister." Anya's old command voice sounded, harsh and about as soft as a bed of nails. "And educate them."

"How many faces do you _have_, human?" Javik asked in wonder.

"Just two." Anya replied in that same rock hard tone. "The human woman and the N7 Fury. While we walk, we are going to hot wash the action you commanded. Clear?"

"I had kind of hoped not to have to." Javik said with a grimace. "But okay."

"How did you get aboard?" Anya asked, walking down the hall, savoring the feeling of power that rang though her veins. "And what force composition?"

"We used prototype stealthed pods." Javik said softly. "The Alliance provided them. We brought a team of forty. Four fire teams each consisting of a leader, a medic, a heavy weapons section, and three elements of two."

"Loadouts?" Anya's voice was distant.

"The Alliance provided gear since the Collector gear failed and we could not repair much of it. All personnel but the heavy weapons teams carried particle rifles." Javik hefted his. "Heavy weapons were two soldiers each equipped with missile launchers or Revenant and Typhoon machine guns. Two of the leaders were also snipers with Widow rifles."

"Hmmm..." Anya mused. "Leaders sniping? Even with your sensory ability, that seems... dangerous. Tunnel vision gets people killed. They should have been leading. War is no place for one-being armies. It is a team effort."

"Agreed." Javik relaxed a little. "We had limited space aboard the pods. It was a struggle to get everything we needed into them."

"That is the way it usually works." Anya replied. "I _am_ angry." She said as Javik looked at her. "But I also understand about war. While I may have some _words_ for you and the others later, for now, let's focus on saving my sister."

"I deserve your wrath." Javik said heavily. "I messed up. I should have known better than to fall for such obvious kill zones."

"Recriminations later." Anya snapped as she saw a pair of Protheans in the distance waving to her and Javik. "Now, we lead."


	48. Chapter 48

"Sitrep!" Anya snapped as she came close to the pair of Protheans who stood at a hatchway. They both jerked as they recognized her voice, neither had recognized her in her N7 armor.

"Madre...I..." One started but paused as Anya glared at him.

"At the moment, I am not your mother." Anya said sternly. "I am Captain Anya and my youngest sister lies gravely injured by a signal that is coming from somewhere on this station. We need to find it and shut it down. Now." Both Protheans squared to attention and nodded. "So... Report!" She snapped.

"The Reaper reports that the signal is originating from behind this bulkhead." The soldier on the right nodded to the hatch. It showed marks of repeated weapon fire but the damage was superficial. "We have been unable to hack it and our weapons have barely scratched it. We have sent for demolitions."

"ETA?" Anya asked, looking the hatch over. It looked like standard shipboard airlock, with the exception of four massive braces that went back into the walls on either side. The entry panel in the middle of the door shone a solid red.

"They say five minutes." The soldier replied. He paused as Anya shook her head. "Ma- I mean Captain?" He stumbled but recovered.

"That much demo will make a _big_ mess of the surrounding area." Anya said slowly, laying a hand on one of the cross braces. Then she smiled under her helmet. "If there _are_ people in there I want to 'talk' to them." Her intonation on the word 'talk' had _both_ soldier gulping. "There may be delicate electronics or other intel in there too. Stand back." She commanded.

"According to Obligatha..." Javik said slowly as the two soldiers retreated a bit. "There is a large area beyond that hatch. It cannot scan more than that." He paused as Anya cursed and threw a hand out. "Wha-?" He stared at the ball of kinetic energy slammed into a concealed camera and shattered it. He scowled. "We were being monitored?"

"Door probably has kinetic shields inside a layer of steel. Scratch the steel and do nothing else." Anya said absently. "And yes. Standard Cerberus 'secret' installation camera..." She shook her head. "We _could_ blow the hatch. Would take a _lot_ of demo... And that much demo will take out a good chunk of this station."

"Are we keeping it?" Javik asked whimsically. "If not..."

"I _might_..." Anya said with a grin that showed even through her helmet mask. "Bigger than a normal trophy, but..." She shook her head. "Cerberus was always good at hiding things and protecting things. But..." She stepped forward and slammed a right handed punch into the lower reinforcing bar, following it through with her whole body. Before it struck the metal, her fist shone blue as a biotic field encased it. A loud _clang_ sounded through the hallway, but nothing else seemed to happen. "Yep..." She said with a sigh, "Thought so..."

She recovered and threw another enhanced punch at the upper brace on the same side. Again, it made noise, but nothing seemed to happen. She shook her fist slightly and moved to the other side. Javik's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing, Captain?" He asked carefully as she threw another punch with her left hand.

"Cerberus hatches are _very_ solid." Anya said with a nod as she struck the last cross brace. Then she stepped back and waved her hands a bit. "Dang that stings. Lost all my calluses..." She complained. "The cross bracing is new, but not unexpected. The problem with cross bracing something is that not everyone realizes that the braces need to be anchored just as strongly as the rest. The _door_ is strong. The mounts for the extra braces? Or the molding _for_ the door? Not so much." She smirked under her helmet at his expression. "I had some _very_ good engineers on my team. We found some... interesting ways into and out of Cerberus bases on occasion."

"So..." Javik shook his head. "The hatch is still sealed."

"Indeed it is." Anya nodded. "But without the bracing, I think you and I can handle it if you are _half_ as powerful as I heard you were. I will channel to weaken it then you pull the bottom, I'll push the top? Make it fall in?" Javik nodded and set himself. "You two..." Anya nodded to the soldiers who were staring at her as if she had grown a new head. "Take cover, hit targets of opportunity as they appear. Prisoners if you _can_, but do _not_ take stupid risks." The two soldiers nodded and as one, moved to the sides of the corridor hiding behind solid cover as they took aim at the hatch. "Ready Commander?" She asked the old Prothean. He laughed as Anya threw energy at the door, wreathing it in a sick pulsing green color.

"You are crazy, human." Javik replied as he took one hand off his rifle in preparation to use his biotics. "Where _did_ you humans learn that anyway?"

"Where do you think?" Anya asked snidely. "You didn't think that Shepard's armor camera just _ignored_ you while you were fighting did you? It wasn't _that_ hard to figure out from the footage."

"I don't know whether to be complimented or insulted." Javik said as he threw power of his own. The biotic field slammed into the lower half of the hatch and it groaned a little. "Ready."

"_Cover!_" Anya snapped as she threw kinetic energy at the top of the hatch. "_Fire in the hole!_" She yelled as she dodged to the side. She literally ducked behind the armored Prothean soldier on her side as the hatch exploded in raw biotic power. The blast was...substantial but she was on her feet and moving almost before the blast wave had passed. What she saw curdled her insides. A Cerberus Engineer had been setting turrets just inside the hatch. While he had been thrown back, his shields had taken the brunt of the blast. It was the _three_ small robotic turrets that hummed as they swung to target her that had her snarling as she looked for something solid it hide behind. "Turrets!" She called as she threw energy at the engineer who was obviously gawking at her sudden entrance. A swift motion and she was behind something that looked solid as all three turrets opened fire on her.

_Well, it LOOKED solid..._ She thought to herself. A motion drew her attention past the hail of projectiles that were tearing her cover to pieces around her. Biotic energy slammed the engineer to the ground where he convulsed and then lay quiet. But Anya was in trouble, her cover was vanishing! She scuttled to the end of the low wall and searched desperately for anywhere else to hide, but the area was devoid of easy spots. "This is gonna _hurt_..." She said to herself as she readied to run when they reloaded.

"_Anya!_" Came another voice as a _huge_ form entered the room, not a Prothean, this one, no. The human in Devastator had an N7 Typhoon in hand and laid down a blistering series of shots. Anya covered her ears. A Typhoon machine gun on full auto made noise like _nothing_ else in existence. In less time that it took to blink, one of the turrets exploded in a shower of sparks. Two red lines of power came from the door, narrowly missing the Destroyer as he danced to the side. They struck another turret full on and stayed there. In moments _that_ turret's shield failed and it too exploded. The third turret stubbornly continued to fire at Anya as the Devastator reloaded. Then the automated killing machine clanked and whirred as it refilled it's ammunition. Anya rose and threw energy at it. Then she ran to the side, only to collide with the Devastator who had moved _just_ the wrong way. She went down in a heap as the turret swung back to her, the breath knocked out of her by the unexpected impact.

"Oh no, you _don't!_" The Devastator snapped as he stepped between Anya and the turret. The turret seemed confused for a moment before opening fire on the larger human who seemed to ignore the fire sparking off his kinetic barriers as he took aim and opened fire with his machine gun again. Anya lay there, trying to get her breath back as the man fired. It took very little time for the Typhoon to chew through and silence the turret. The man reloaded his weapon again as he looked at Any. "You okay?"

"That wasn't left." Anya snapped as she rolled to her feet.

"Wha-?" Vegas -it was his voice- asked, confused.

"Close Quarters Battle tactics." Anya snapped, her ire up. "Two teammates in close proximity. One under fire, losing barriers. Swap positions. Each moves _left_ to avoid what just happened. You moved _right_." She said, shaking her head to clear it. "If there had been more than those three turrets we would _both_ have been dead."

"Oh." Vega said with a nod. "Oops."

"Oops?" Anya asked caustically, checking the still form of the engineer. He still breathed and she snapped quick restraints onto each of his limbs. The plastic ties would not break, they would have to be cut off. "You could have gotten us both killed and you say 'Oops'? I think _someone_ needs a refresher course in CQB." The man in Devastator armor actually looked sheepish. Hard to do in full armor, but he managed.

"I _did_ have the stronger armor and shields." James said in his own defense.

"And _how_ long would you have lasted under fire from a turret?" Anya asked calmly, her ire spent as she looked around the chamber. No more hostiles presented themselves. "How far did your barrier drop?"

"Uh...Oh." James paused and then groaned. "To twenty."

"About two more seconds of sustained fire." Anya said with a sigh. "_Yes_, you saved me. But if there had been _anyone_ else there, you would have gone down and _who_ would have saved _you_?"

"You made your point, Captain." Vega said sourly. "I screwed up."

"You did save me." Anya relented a little. "But dead heroes are still dead." She paused and scowled under her mask. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Ma'am?" Vega asked, his tone confused.

"Never mind." Anya said as she rose only to pause as an automated voice sounded.

"Unauthorized access." Anya froze, she _knew_ that female voice! "Intruders remain where you are. Lethal force authorized. Identify." Turrets appeared form two sides of the room. These were _much_ larger than the engineer's had been and held more than one barrel. Just looking at them, it was easy to see they were well armored and shielded.

"Oh my god..." Anya breathed. "Mika?" She asked, horrified. "Nobody move!" She shouted as the turrets swung to cover the area.

"Who..." The voice sounded confused for a moment. "Who is that?" The voice sounded dazed. "Identify."

"Mika? Mika Mitaka?" Anya said softly. "It's me, Anya... I... What happened to you, Mika?"

"Anya?" The voice sounded confused for a moment and then it regained strength. "Anya Wilson Fuentes is dead. Identify. Now." Instead of answering Anya made a peculiar whistling sound. "I... No... Anya is dead..."

"Who told you that, Mika-san?" Anya asked softly. "They lied."

"No one..." The computerized voice sounded unsure now. "No one calls me that. Not since..." An aggravated sound came from the hidden speaker. "Anya is dead."

"I am going to take off my mask, Mika-san. Is that all right?" Anya said sadly. "I was always playing samurai and shinobi in your garden." Anya reached up slowly and undid her mask, then lowered her hands to her sides, holding it. Tears were falling as she looked around. "I am sorry I trampled your beans, Mika-san."

"You... You apologized already... Anya-san..." The voice said softly. "Every time you came to the garden you apologized for that youthful mistake. I... Anya...?" The voice asked, unsure.

"I lied about it, Mika-san." Anya said sadly. "It made me feel bad. It _still_ makes me feel bad to this day that I lied to you about it. There was no honor in what I did."

"Oh, Anya-san..." The computerized voice sounded exasperated. "It wasn't _your_ fault. You were only five years old."

"But I _lied_, Mika-san..." Anya said, tears falling. "It was wrong. I knew it at the time, and I know it now. My honor was stained by what I did. I had to pay for what I did." She knelt gracefully and bowed her head, only to pause as a clucking sound came from the speaker.

"You are not samurai, Anya-san." The voice turned gentle. "You helped fix what you did, and you helped in the garden every year after until you fled the horror of your family. Honor is satisfied and more than satisfied. Oh Anya... They told me you were dead!" The voice said, sadness oozing from it. The turrets deactivated and returned to their places. "I... Have you come to kill me?"

"No!" Anya said, shocked. "We came looking for a signal that is hurting Portia. Do you know her?"

"Your youngest sibling. We never met, but I have some information on her, not much." Mika's voice asked quietly. "Please, Anya-san, I beg you. Kill me!"

"Mika-san!" Anya shook her head. "No...I cannot kill you! You and Nanny were the _only_ good things in my entire childhood! I can save you!"

"No, you can't." Anya shook her head, but Mika's voice turned even sadder. "Anya...Look what they did to me." One wall of the room opened up and Anya froze in seeing a form suspended inside a _bunch_ of mechanical devices. The female form was unclothed, but almost every inch of her body was covered by some kind of machinery. Tubes ran into her nose and mouth. Others came from other parts of her anatomy and ran into machinery that whirred nearby. The woman's eyes were sad as she looked at Anya. The tracks of many tears ran down her face. The eyes focused on Anya and the voice sounded again. "You have grown up big and strong, Anya-san. I beg you. End me."

"No." Anya was crying as she rose to her feet. "No, Mika-san. No one _else_ dies today! I will not. I cannot. You _can_ be saved." Her face and voice hardened as she turned to where Javik and Vega stood, staring at her. "Wake that piece of Cerberus filth up. If I do, I am going to rip him in half." The threat was cold and matter of fact. James nodded and removed the unconscious engineer's helmet before slapping him. The prisoner woke with a groan. He froze as Anya leaned down close to him, green fire limning her limbs.

"I am only going to say this _once_, Cerberus slime." Anya said in a cold, dead voice. "I am in a _very_ bad mood at the moment. You are some kind of caretaker, yes?" He nodded and would have spoken, except Anya slapped him, and not lightly. "You speak when I _say_, you scum. Or I will tear out your vocal cords, clear?"

"Anya..." James sounded slightly upset.

"He is _my_ prisoner, Lieutenant Commander and I am not _officially_ part of the Alliance at the moment, am I?" Anya asked calmly, not taking her eyes from the now terrified engineer. Recognizable sounds came from him and she smiled evilly as he wet himself. "I am either a Prisoner of War, a subject of a criminal investigation, or simply a married woman whose status has not been determined yet. Either way, I am _not_ Alliance military at the moment, am I?"

"You know..." James stared from the cringing engineer to the woman suspended in the machinery and then nodded. "I need to police up my spent thermal clips. I will be back in a few minutes. I _think_ Spectre Williams is on her way." He said with a nod as he turned to leave. The engineer stared at him, and would have spoken again, except Anya slapped him again. He stared at her and then screamed as she grabbed him by the throat and raised him off the ground so his face was inches form hers.

"You are going to walk out of this room with these three fine Protheans." Anya said calmly and coldly. "You are going to cooperate fully. You are going to tell them _everything_ that you have done. In exacting detail. Or I am going to come in and turn you inside out from the feet up. And before you say it cannot be done, it _can_. I have done it and the subject lives a _lot_ longer than you would think. Get him _out_ of here." She snapped as she dropped him. Javik grabbed the cringing human and carried him bodily from the room. The two soldiers saluted Anya and followed. Only then did Anya sigh and knelt before the area where Mika was suspended. "I am sorry, Mika-san, but I have lost too many people I cared for. If we _can_ help you, we will. If not, I _will_ end your pain. I swear it."

"Anya-san..." Mika's voice was gentle as her eyes closed and then opened again. "I accept your oath. You said Portia is hurt?"

"Yes." Anya said with sigh. "She is my genetic daughter, but born from my mother. So... I need to find the signal source and shut it down."

"Carlo, the engineer..." Mika said slowly. "He activated something. I do not know what. My access is _very_ limited. I am locked out of many of the systems on this station."

"If I start rummaging around, I am more likely to hurt than help." Anya said slowly and then paused. "Mika... What _kind_ of access would be required? What _kind_ of locks?"

"DNA locks." Mika said sadly. "I can't..." She broke off as Anya hissed. "What?"

"DNA?" Anya asked. "Where?"

"Right side panel. The one with the hand print." Mika said in a questioning tone. Then she hissed as Anya stepped there. "Anya... What are you doing?"

"Mr. Wilson Fuentes set up a lot to be accessed by my DNA. I think the idea was to control ME and then have ME control everything else." Anya said with a snarl. "Will it do anything nasty if I fail to pass the security?"

"I don't know, Anya." Mika said, dubious. "Knowing your father, that is likely. Anya..."

"I don't know a lot about DNA locks..." Anya said slowly, scrutinizing the panel. "But I _do_ know there are almost always hidden safeguards for almost any lock. What if Dear Old Dad had been taken by the Reapers? Or if he had died of some weird disease? Or fallen in the shower and broken his scrawny neck? There _had_ to be a safeguard. And it likely was me."

"Why not one of your other sisters?" Mika asked reasonably.

"He wanted me _very_ badly, Mika." Anya said slowly. "Why? I was just a daughter. A host for his experiments, a key for...his machines?"

"A key for _the_ machine Anya." Another voice sounded from behind her. Anya spun to see Kai and Melissa both standing there with Spectre Williams. All three women looked horrified. "Mika..." Kai breathed in horror. "Madre de Dios, what did he _do_ to you?"

"That looks kind of like what Shepard reported that Cerberus did in Project Overlord." Spectre Williams said as she looked around, obviously trying to maintain control of her emotions. "I never understood how Shepard did not shoot the man responsible." Instead of speaking, Anya laid her hand on the handprint panel nearby. Mika gasped and her voice turned computer-like again.

"First key engaged." Mika said woodenly. Kai stared and then rushed to Anya's side and laid her hand on the panel as well. "Second key engaged." Melissa stepped forward as well and laid _her_ hand on the panel. "Third and final key engaged. Systems unlocked. Nimue is reborn!" A pulse of power came from the machinery and all three stepped back as the energy spiked. A scream came from the machinery but Anya stood firm.

"Mika-san!" Anya called. "Remember who you are! I want to build a garden! A beautiful garden. With a Zen meditation space and beautiful flowers and beans I won't trample this time!"

"A-..." The voice of the one-time gardener sounded as if from far away. "Anya-san?" She sounded unsure, but then her voice gained strength. "Self destructs...deactivated. Internal defenses... deactivated. Control signal of Subject 5...deactivated." Mika's voice slowly approached human timbres again. "That was dumb, Anya." She complained.

"We do dumb things for those we love." Anya said, tears falling as she could see the figure in the machinery again and Mika was crying as well. "Are you all right?"

"Better." Mika replied. "I have control of the station. This is... a data repository..." Mika said in shock. "I have access to _all_ of the files now. Everything...I can see all the files, and can search them at will." She said in shock. "I am... a _librarian_?" She asked in wonder.

"We will see about getting you out of there." Anya promised as her sisters came close to marvel at the suspended woman who was glowing with power now. "I DO want to build a garden, Mika-san."

"I...would like that, Anya-san." Mika replied. Then she gasped. "I am receiving hails from something called Obligatha? It is... odd, but kind. And... Sensors report a new arrival."

"What kind?" Anya asked as she knelt again.

"Unknown." Mika said slowly. "Ship type is _not_ in any database I can access. What?" She asked the air and then gasped. "Obligatha reports that the ship is a Rachni vessel."

"_Rachni?_" Williams, Kai and Melissa chorused, but Anya just smiled.

"I wondered when she would get here."


	49. Chapter 49

**Hangar bay, twenty minutes later**

"Hurlie Girlie!" A tall Asari stepped out of the odd looking ship that had landed and smiled widely as she saw Anya. "I hadn't believed it when the news report broke!" She ran to Anya who braced herself as the Asari lifted her bodily off the ground and hugged her tight. "Dang, you stupid human. Don't _do_ that to us!"

All the others in the bay laughed at Anya's expression. Spectre Williams was there along with Kai, Melissa and a squad of Protheans who had shown up just after the fight and not left Anya's side despite her protests that she could fight on her own. Both her sisters wore fatigues instead of armor. Anya wore her armor still, but hadn't put her mask or helmet back on.

"Illia..." Anya gasped. "Air...would be...good..." She smiled as the Asari set her down and looked her over. "You look good, Illia."

"Well, _you_ look like something the varren drug it, ate and then _barfed_, girl." Illia said, her face turning worried. "What the _hell_ have you been doing to yourself? I _know_ Raan'ita took proper care of you."

"It's a mess, Illia." Anya sighed, stepping back.

"When is it ever _not_, hurlie girlie?" Illia said with a scowl that turned into a smirk at Anya's grimace. "Oh come on, it was fun. You _know_ it was." Kai and Melissa both looked like they were going to die of smothering laughter but Williams just shook her head.

"You are the second Asari to call her that." Ashley said with a frown. "Do I want to know why?"

"You are Spectre Williams." The Asari nodded to her. "I guess I _could_ relate the tale." Anya shook her head savagely and Illia smiled wider. "Come on, Anya. It _is_ a funny story."

"For _you_." Anya said softly. "_I_ have been _trying_ to forget..."

"Oh Anya." Illia hugged the human woman again. "You were always so uptight. I had _hoped_ that your paramour would loosen you up a bit. Sha'ira said the same." She ruffled Anya's hair a bit. "You always were wound too tight. C-Flat Viridian says your mind feels even _more_ like a spring that has been wound far too tight. Calm down, Anya. We are here. We will help if we can." Her words were suddenly super soft.

"Oh Illia..." Everything seemed to stop as Anya flung herself into the Asari's arms, bawling like a baby. "_They killed my kid!_"

"What?" The Asari's face went from gentle and concerned to horrified. "What happened, Anya?" She asked as she held Anya, stroking the crying woman's hair to calm her. "Spectre?"

"Cerberus captured Anya." Williams said sadly. "Her family..." She indicated Kai and Melissa who had frozen in place. "This is Kai and Melissa. They are Anya's sisters. Their parents ran a cell of Cerberus. Anya was a.. A test subject, for a very long time. Since she was born. Apparently when they captured Anya, their mother...tore Crado and Anya's child from Anya's belly and killed it."

"Karinlina." Illia snarled, a far cry from the kind and gentle being she had been a moment before. For a moment, she looked ancient, powerful and _s__cary_. "_Please_ tell me someone killed that bitch."

"Obligatha did." Kai said softly. "She was my mother, but... I am _glad_ she is gone. She was evil."

"You..." Illia looked from Kai to Melissa, then to Anya's still crying face. "Your tunes are discordant. You hurt." Her voice had turned odd. It _was_ the Asari's voice, but more. It was different, more resonant, more vibrant, more...everything.

"C... Help..." Anya begged. "Portia... needs you..." She sobbed. "They need you..."

"Oh Anya. Such sweet songs dimmed by horror." The odd voice sounded sad, so sad. "But always _others_ first." The voice sighed and spoke again. "No, Anya. You first this time." Anya shook her head, but Illia's hand was cupping the back of her head and power flared. "Sleep, my friend." Anya gasped and then went limp. The squad of soldiers stepped forward, only to paused as Spectre Williams gestured them to. The same odd voice sounded from the Asari's lips. "Your Madre is fine. She is overwrought by grief and fear. She needs rest and comfort. We will tend her. Have no fear for her." The Asari looked at Kia and Melissa and her gaze was sad. "You as well... Both of you. We offer our aid. Your minds are discordant, we can soothe them, make your songs peaceful again."

"Songs?" Kai asked carefully.

"My people sing through the touchings of thought." The odd voice sounded through Illia's mouth. "Illia volunteered to serve as my voice to those who cannot hear me. Anya was right to call me. She needs help, and so do you." Kai and Melissa looked at each other, Kai stepped forward, but Melissa did not.

"I can't do this, Kai." Melissa said sharply. "I _can't_."

"I do not compel, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes. I will not _force_ you to accept anything. But your sister Anya and your sister Portia need my care." The voice was super gentle now. "My form is frightening at the best of times, which these are not. And my guards are...diligent."

"You are Rachni." Melissa said slowly. "The queen?"

"A queen." The voice replied evenly. "My parent decided after being captured by the Reapers and forced to give birth to eggs for them to change that having a single queen for the entire swarm was a very bad idea. So, after Shepard rescued her from the Reapers, she gave birth to the egg that became me. The swarm divided. The Alliance tried to protect me, but Cerberus found me... They killed my guards. They would have taken me, experimented on me, used me, or killed me, if Anya had not stopped them. I owe her everything I am now. My people pay our debts, Melissa Wilson Fuentes."

"Just Melissa now... And... I want to see you." Melissa said quietly. Kai looked at her and she shook her head. "I need to."

"You make a wrong move, Melissa..." Kai said softly. "And either _her_ guards, Anya's or Specter Williams will tear you apart." In answer, Melissa held out her wrists to Williams who gave her a long look before reaching for her belt and coming up with a pair of binders.

"No!" The voice of the Rachni out of the Asari's mouth was fierce. "Trust cannot be forced. Echoes of fear must be met and soothed or they grow in discordance. Stand easy, Spectre. My guards come." Ashley nodded and lowered her hand. Melissa looked worried, Kai serene. The Protheans just stood, watching Anya who now was cradled in the Asari's arms as Illia sang a soft lullaby to her.

Everything seemed to stop in the bay as the hatch of the ship opened again and two large and menacing forms appeared in it. Each had four legs. two arms and two whip like appendages with four claws at the ends of each. The Rachni warriors stepped onto the deck and took a pace forward, placing their bulk between the hatch and the frozen onlookers. They had no discernible faces, but... Oh they were wearing armor! Just from looking at their bodies, they were quivering in agitation. Their multiple compound eyes were glowing under the odd helmets and the circuitry on their skin shone brightly in the light of the hangar bay. Both _also_ had odd devices mounted on what seemed to be their shoulders. Devices that moved independently of the arms and appendages. They didn't _look_ like weapons, but that was what they _had_ to be. Nobody moved.

An odd sound came and the warriors moved aside as another, even larger form stepped out of the hatch. An sense of peace and well being flooded the hangar as the queen soothed everyone with her pheromones. Melissa relaxed a little.

"You can help us?" Kai asked slowly. "Help Anya, Portia, Jenni, Melissa and myself?" The queen made a slow movement that was obviously it's attempt to approximate a human nod. "What do I do?"

"Kai!" Melissa said sharply.

"I _have_ to do this, Melissa." Kai said quietly. "I have to know. After everything I have done, the blood I have spilled, innocent and not... I am expendable."

"_No, you are **not!**_" Melissa cried. She darted forward. She made it halfway before one of the warriors lashed out with a clawed appendage, slamming her to the deck before she was within ten meters of the Rachni queen, aware of the warriors weapons turning to target her. She froze in place, waiting for whatever they would do to her. But instead of pain, a soft humming came from nearby.

"Love is a strong symphony, child." The voice of the queen came from the Asari again. "Your love for your sister is more powerful than the discordance I sense in you. May I soothe it?" The queen asked kindly. Melissa nodded, not trusting her voice.

_Something_ washed over Melissa, seeping into every crack, every corner of her being. It was sound, but it wasn't. It was thought, but it wasn't. It was sadness, pity, compassion, fear, worry... All of those and none. It was kindness. Melissa was herself crying as she knelt and the queen's clawed arm touched her head gently. Something went 'snap' inside her and the tears that had been falling increased in volume.

{Oh child...} The sad voice was everywhere inside Melissa's mind. {Such harsh dissonance. So hurt and scared. You don't need to be afraid any more, Melissa.} The gentle voice said quietly. {It's okay.} Indeed, the soothing tones were soft and gentle, like a mother's embrace. Melissa looked up into horror close at hand and smiled.

{I...} Melissa cried and then, in a compulsive move, embraced the queen, who didn't even flinch.

"_Melissa!_" Kai snapped, aghast as Melissa slowly slumped to the floor. But Melissa's expression as she fell asleep was a serene smile.

"It is all right Kai, sister of Anya." The voice of the Rachni came from the Asari again. "Your sister Melissa is free of the controls placed in her mind. She will sleep for a time. You?" Kai stepped forward slowly and to her credit did not even flinch as the wicked claw came close to her face. But the touch on her cheek was gentle. "What is this?" The queen asked, horrified. "Oh child... What did they _do_ to you? Oily... evil shadows..." The pain in the queen's voice was palpable.

"They..." Kai found herself kneeling with no recollection of _how_ she had gotten there. Something gentle had her head in a firm grip. "I don't know. Don't... Don't take any chances..."

"Child..." The queen's voice sounded from the Asari again. "For child you are, even if you _are_ the eldest of Anya's siblings. Your pain and fear are greater than any but Anya. Such horrible echoes... The maddening sour note is strong in you. I cannot heal this swiftly. I... may not be able to heal it at all." Regret sounded in the Rachni's tone. "I will try, but it may cause pain. I do _not_ like causing pain. It rings discord."

"Do what you can." Kai said softly. "Anya trusted you and you helped Melissa. Help Jenni and Portia, please...?"

"Always for others." The queen absently said through Illia. "Always." The Asari sighed deeply. "This _will_ hurt, Kai sister of Anya. There is no other way to do it. I am sorry."

"I am ready." Kai said softly. Then a hum sounded from the queen. It quickly built in pitch and volume until it pervaded every part of Kai's body. The pitch rose sharply and she cried out as pain came. Indeed, it _did_ hurt. It hurt worse than anything Kai had ever encountered She tried to scream, tried to roll back away from the source, but her body didn't obey her. Indeed, the pain increased as she tried to move. She felt something happen inside her and she was sliding. But she was smiling, the pain was gone. Everything was going.

"What? Bittersweetness?" The sharp voice of the queen came from the Asari. "_No!_ Kai! Stay! Your sisters need you!"

"I... don't hurt..." Kai said softly in wonder. How had she gotten to the floor? "Am I dying?" She asked in a calm voice.

"Yes." The Asari sobbed for the queen. "I didn't... I swear I didn't mean to..."

"It's all right." Kai said softly. "Spectre..."

"I am here, Kai." Ashley's face came into her view.

"Tell Melissa, Anya..." Kai said with a smile. "The queen freed me. The only way she could. It's not her fault. I was too far gone. I think... I think they indoctrinated me without me knowing."

"Kai, stay awake." Ashley pleaded. "Jenni is coming. She can help."

"She will try." Kai said simply. "But I am tired. So tired..."

"No!" The queen said sharply through the Asari. "You are needed, Kai. Illia!"

"C-Flat Viridian, are you sure?" Illia's voice was her own again as she came into Kai's vision. "It cannot be undone, you know this."

"What?" Kai asked, her voice still that odd calm.

"When C-flat Viridian tried to soothe the disharmony in your mind, pieces of your mind broke, Kai." Illia said gently, a soft blue hand coming down to trace her cheek. "She cannot repair them."

"So I am dying." Kai said with a small shudder. "How long?" Her tone was childlike now.

"She is keeping you here, Kai." Illia said quickly. "But she cannot do it for long. She didn't know how bad the damage to your mind was, Kai. She blames herself."

"No." Kai protested, looking up into the eyes of the Rachni that towered over her now. "Not your fault."

"Kai." Illia said softly. "She _can_ save you. But it will change you. _Far_ more than you have been already. She can take you as her own, as I am." Kai looked at Illia who slumped a bit. "I... remember the change. I was... I was a courier. I never asked what I carried. Not when it screamed and writhed or cried. Or if the delivery was to someone I _knew_ was a Red Sand or illegal weapons dealer." Illia was crying. "I didn't _care_. It was all about the money, all about the next payday. Then her mom saved me..."

"What happened?" Kai asked, curious.

"I took a high value contract. Pirates wanted the cargo and I refused to give it up." Illia said softly. "My ship was shot down. I crashed and woke up in the Rachni hive. They had rescued me and destroyed the pirates who had been searching the wreckage for the cargo. They healed me, but...I was a mess. Not _just_ from the crash, but from before. I hadn't _known_ what love was since I was a child. When they sang to me, I knew again... I begged them to let me stay. But they refused." Illia sighed. "They said it wasn't safe and they were right. If I had been there when the Reapers attacked I would have died. I was never a commando. Then, after the Reapers came, and Shepard found and rescued the queen again, she sent for me and I went, willingly. She asked me to be C-Flat Viridian's translator and I agreed. But before I could _get_ to C-Flat Viridian, Cerberus attacked her and Anya saved her."

"That must be one _hell_ of a story." Kai said with a smile. Then she sobered. "What do I do?"

"Kai. It is for life." Illia said softly. "Even if she _could_ undo it -which she can't- you would not survive long outside her area of influence. It took time for me to integrate fully. Weeks, although I could talk to her and her me after the first few moments."

"_Kai!_" Jennifer's anguished cry had Kai suddenly tense a bit. Then a sub-harmonic tone from the Rachni soothed her again. "_What happened?"_ Jenni demanded as she came close.

"The Rachni queen tried to soothe my mind, get rid of the programming." Kai said softly. "She managed with Melissa. But my mind was too broken, Jennifer." Jenni gave a sharp cry again and Kai hurried to speak. "Not her fault, Jennifer. Not... her..."

"Let me see..." Jennifer said, tears falling as her omni-tool hummed. "My god..." She hissed in horror as she looked at the display. "Kai... No..."

"Illia..." Kai said softly. "C-Flat Viridian... What do I do?"

"Do?" Jenni snapped. "What are you? _No!_" She screamed as the queen's closest appendage came down near Kai's head.

"Jenni..." Kai said softly. "She can help me. You can't, can you?" It wasn't really a question.

"_She hurt you!_" Jenni screamed. The Rachni retreated from the discordant shriek.

"Jenni, calm down." Kai said sharply and regretted it as pain started behind her eyes. "It was mom and dad, not her. They did something inside my head. It broke when she tried to help me. It _isn't her fault_." Kai said and tried to reach out to her sister. Something grabbed her hand and gave a squeeze. "Jenni... Please... If I am this bad, Portia is likely worse. I...Ah..." She cried out as the pain redoubled. "She can help me. Let her, please..." She gasped.

"You can?" Jennifer's voice held little hope.

"I can, Jennifer, sister of Anya." The odd voice of the Rachni came from the Asari and Jenni gave a little squeak before sighing. "But it must be soon. Her song is fading despite my best efforts. She is slipping away."

"Jenni... Please...?" Kai begged. The hand on hers gave a squeeze and let go. "I am ready." Kai said slowly.

"Then listen, Kia sister of Anya." Illia said quietly. Kai strained with her ears and then blinked as the world suddenly turned an odd color. Or her eyes suddenly saw it differently.

She was looking down, on... herself. Her face was pale and pinched with fear and pain. But then it slowly relaxed. Her eyes slowly changed from the glowing hazel orbs to glowing _silver_ ones!

{I...} Kai froze. Was her voice aloud or mental. The lips on her body hadn't moved so mental. {I feel...}

{Don't feel, little one.} The soft, gentle female voice sounded from everywhere. {Listen.}

A soft song started in the background, she could hear it. And suddenly, she could _understand_ it! It was a lament, for innocence lost, for lives stolen, for hearts and souls destroyed for greed and hate. She saw tears start to fall down the face of her body, but it wasn't wrong. Everything was right now. She blinked and was back in her body, her eyes burning. She looked up at C-Flat Viridian and nodded slowly. She could see her reflection in the queen's soft eyes.

"Thank you." Kai said softly. "This is... odd..." She mused as she looked at herself with eyes that she _knew_ somehow had just been altered to see in wavelengths that even augmented humans couldn't. "I feel... The same, but... not."

"Kai?" Jenni's eyes were on her and Kai looked at her sister. "Are you still my sister?" Jenni begged.

"You are _not_ going to get rid of me _that_ easy, sis." Kai said with a smile as she tried to sit up. To her astonishment, she could. The clawed appendage that move behind her to support was barely needed. "Thank you, C-Flat Viridian."

"You are welcome." Kai heard an odd dissonance as the Asari spoke. The words came from the Rachni _and_ from the Asari, but not at the same time. "How do you feel?"

"The same." Kai said softly. "But I am not, am I?"

"No." Illia replied in her own voice. "You will need some time to accustom yourself to the changes. Hearing them will not always be easy. They can be...chatterboxes on occasion. But wait until you hear a full symphony of them." She smiled as Kai sat up fully. "Now, let's get Anya, Melissa and you to beds and then see about helping your _other_ sisters."

"What?" Jenni asked, unsure. "Me?"

"Yeah." Illia said calmly. "Anya asked me to talk to you specifically. You and I will have a _long_ talk while C-Flat Viridian helps your youngest sibling. You might..." She leered at Jenni who stared at her. "Even enjoy it."


	50. Chapter 50

**Nine hours later**

"Kai?"

The soft, worried voice pulled Kai from her musing on the songs that even now pervaded her skull. They were not overpowering, but they _were_ always there. A gentle, soothing presence that Kai greatly appreciated. She jerked a little, looking at Anya, but her sister was still asleep. She looked up into the eyes of another of her sisters. Melissa wore a nightgown and a befuddled expression. She stood at the dividing curtain that separated the hospital room into two patient sections. Anya was sleeping in one bed and Melissa had been sleeping in the other.

"Melissa." Kai said with a smile. "You woke up." Melissa looked at her and Kai sighed. "Melissa, it's okay." She knew the blue garment she wore was off putting. It had _scared_ her when Illia had helped her into it at first, but now? It felt like a second skin, which was the idea. "Just... keep it down... We don't want to disturb Anya. She has suffered enough." Melissa nodded.

"That dress is beautiful." Melissa said softly. Her hand going to her head. "What happened? Its... fuzzy... Wait... Did I _hug_ the Rachni?" Melissa asked, incredulous.

"You did." Kai said with a smile. "And no, she didn't mind. She was happy to help."

"Your eyes..." Melissa said slowly. "They are different."

"I know." Kai said with a sigh. "Take a seat?" She waved to a chair by the wall of the small room. "I don't want to leave Anya. Jenni is with C-Flat Viridian. They are trying to help Portia. The hospital ship just arrived a few minutes ago and all the others are getting _that_ sorted out. We put you in here to sleep so I could keep an eye on you and Anya. I am still a little wobbly and will be for a few days by all accounts."

"What happened?" Melissa said as she sat. "I remember the song... I don't know what it was. I couldn't understand it. But it was so beautiful. Something went snap and I... I felt..." Melissa shook her head. "I don't know. I can't define it."

"C-Flat Viridian destroyed the programming controls that held you." Kai said gently. "You are free."

"Did the Rachni do the same for you?" Melissa asked slowly, looking from Kai to Anya's still form.

"She tried." Kai said sadly. "Mom and Dad or maybe Phantom training hurt me FAR more than you." Melissa stared at Kai, horrified and Kai shrugged. "When C-Flat Viridian tried to do to me what she did to you, bits of my mind broke."

"It what?" Melissa asked, in a soft, disbelieving voice. "Then... How..." She waved at Kai who sighed again.

"She couldn't _repair_ the bits that broke." Kai said with a smile that faded. "She _could_ replace them. I am hers now, Melissa. Body and soul." Melissa drew in a quick breath to protest but paused as Kai raised a hand. "I am not a slave. More an employee, or servant. She is a kind and gentle mistress. She truly cares about her people _and_ her extended family, which apparently includes Anya. This was the only way for C-Flat Viridian to save my life, Melissa. I have _nothing_ but gratitude for her."

"Oh, Kai..." Melissa was crying softly. "I am sorry."

"This isn't what I wanted." Kai said with a shrug. "But it may work out anyway." Melissa arced an eyebrow and Kai shrugged. "I _was_ wanted by the Alliance. You were not, I was." She glanced sidelong at Melissa. "You know about Chris and Vincent, right?"

"And Jenni." Melissa said softly. "They are Alliance. It wasn't hard to figure out when _none_ of the three of them were hurt, or even scorched when they wound up in detention with the survivors. I... I don't know how I feel about that."

"Chris is a good man." Kai said with a sigh. "You could do _far_ worse, sis." Melissa blushed and Kai smiled knowingly. "Now that my big sister work of embarrassing my little sister is done... You gonna be okay?"

"I think so." Melissa said with a frown. "Everything is fuzzy. Nothing is clear anymore. It _was_. Or it _seemed_ to be. What about you?"

"My life took a serious turn for the surreal." Kai said with a shrug. "But I will be okay. And I am still going to be your nosy, pushy, bossy older sister. Come here." She rose and held out her arms. Melissa came into them. They embraced and then Melissa stepped back, looking at Kai's dress.

"What _is_ that?" Melissa asked curiously. "That isn't fabric."

"It's chitin." Kai said with a smile as she smoothed the blue material, sending shimmering waves down her side. Melissa stared at her and Kai nodded. "It s a lightweight envirosuit. With a skintight biotic barrier, I can survive for quite a while in almost any environment. Considering where my first stop is going to be when we _leave_, we figured me getting used to this would be a good idea. Rachni thrive on toxic worlds, remember?"

"Where are you going?" Melissa asked, half fearful.

"They won't hurt me, Melissa." Kai reassured her, stepping forward and giving her sister a squeeze. "But C-Flat Viridian essentially adopted me, so she has to take me back and explain _why_ to _her_ mom. I hope I can be useful to them. I owe her."

"If you _ever_ need anything Kai, let me know." Melissa said softly. Both of them froze as another voice sounded.

"Me too." Anya's voice was slurred. Both sisters spun to look at their bedridden sister. "Kai... What...?"

"_Anya?_" Kai asked, worried. "You shouldn't be awake yet. Hang on, let me call..." She broke off as Anya convulsed. "_Anya!_" She snapped, her hand going to her head. {My queen! Anya needs you!} She called. "She is having a seizure, Melissa!" Kai said, moving to the bedside and moving anything that Anya might hit while out of control. She rolled Anya on her side so she wouldn't asphyxiate on her saliva or tongue. "Melissa! Get on the com, call everyone! Get help!" Melissa jumped to the intercom and started calling.

{Kai?} C-Flat's voice was sharp in her skull. {What is happening?}

{Anya is having a seizure!} Kai said, helpless to do anything but watch as Anya jerked. Her sister's eyes were open, but saw nothing as she convulsed and drooled. {What do I _do_?} She begged.

{Lay your hand on her head.} The queen commanded. Kai did as instructed, careful to keep clear of the gnashing teeth. {Oh my god...} The queen said suddenly. {What is _this_? This... off color note? Whatever, I will ease her. Stay with her. Medics are coming.} Power flowed through Kai and suddenly Anya stilled as a different song rang in Kai's mind, flowing into Anya's. Anya's eyes rolled back up into her head, and she slumped on the bed, suddenly and completely asleep.

{What...?} Kai asked, afraid to move her hand as the song continued. {What is wrong with her?}

{I do not know, Kai.} The queen replied. {Stay in physical contact. I come. Portia is sleeping, and will be fine.}

"Kai..." Melissa had turned back from the com and was watching her sister warily. "Why are your eyes silver?"

"They do that when I am talking to the queen." Kai said absently, stroking Anya's sweat streaked hair gently with her free hand, keeping the one on Anya's forehead in place. "I don't know why. The queen is coming, she says Portia will be fine."

"I got hold of Scholar." Melissa said soberly as she came to the bedside. "He is telling everyone else and coming as well. What should I do?"

"You haven't been checked out yet." Kai said quietly, "And..." She froze as the door hissed open and three forms hurried in. One was Scholar, his face grave. The other two... The female Quarian Kai did not know. The female human Kai _did_ know. Or she knew _of_ the woman anyway. Miranda Lawson's hand hovered near her gun as she took in the scene. Kai focused on Scholar and the Quarian.

"What happened?" The Prothean asked, coming to the bedside with omni-tool in hand. The Quarian just started scanning. Lawson put her back to the wall, and did not move.

"Scholar!" Kai said gratefully. "Anya woke up, she wasn't supposed to! Her voice was off and then she convulsed. C-Flat Viridian is holding her asleep through me!" Kai jerked her head at Melissa. "We were talking quietly and she just woke up! The queen says there is something wrong...inside Anya's head. She didn't see it before I don't think."

"There wasn't anything..." Scholar broke off as his and the Quarian's omni-tools both let out strident calls for attention at the same time. Then his voice turned horrified. "Oh. My. God."

"Scholar?" Kai asked, fear for her sister oozing from every pore. But she clamped her mouth shut. She was in the way, she knew about hurting, not healing. Miranda Lawson's face as flat as she looked from Kai to Melissa, to Anya and back. "Don't hurt Melissa, Mrs. Lawson. She didn't do anything. I did as my queen commanded." Kai said softly.

"And I should believe you... _Why_?" The former Cerberus operative asked coldly. "You are an assassin." Both Scholar and the Quarian paused in what they were doing to look at Kai who flushed.

"Yes I am." Kai said softly. "Or... I _was_." She slumped a bit. "I... I don't know what I am now. My eyes were opened, by my sister among others. I am not as I was. I... I don't..." Then she felt a wordless caress and she smiled sadly as the door hissed one again. The room got downright _crowded_ as C-Flat Viridian entered.

{Be my voice?} The Rachni asked silently.

{Anytime, my queen.} Kai said simply and let herself fall by the way side. She heard her voice speak again, but this time C-Flat was talking.

"What Kai, sister of Anya, _was_ is not important now, Miranda Lawson." The queen said through Kai's mouth. "She truly _does_ wish to make things right if she can. There are some things she cannot change. Some wrongs she cannot undo. These she regrets. But she was a _slave_, Miranda Lawson. You of _all_ people should understand about that." Miranda jerked in place, but then nodded to the Rachni. Now the Rachni's voice turned scared. "Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight? Is it what I feared? Her implant?"

"It has malfunctioned." Raan'ita said slowly, her omni-tool whirring as she focused back on Anya. "There is... damage. It is recent. This didn't happen very long ago." Kai felt fear for her sister surge through her, to be soothed by calming tones from the queen. "_No!_" Raan'ita snapped. "It's surging again! We have to get it out of her!"

"I brought a full set up." C-Flat said through Kai into the horrified silence that fell. "I was not sure what Anya's sisters would need. I have a surgical suite ready on the ship. It's geared for my drones, but can be quickly reconfigured. Can we... deactivate the implant? Keep it from hurting her again?"

"We would need the codes." Raan'ita said slowly. "I don't have the current ones. Without them, it will self destruct. And _that_ will kill her."

{Her implant is old.} Kai said to her queen mentally. {_Did_ she get it updated?} The queen paused.

"Did Anya's implant get updated?" C-Flat asked through Kai. "When she was found?" Raan'ita and Lawson both looked at each other and, in unison, both shook their heads. "Then the codes you _had_ may still be current! Oh!" C-flat heaved as power flared under Kai's fingers. "We have to do _something!_ It is burning inside her brain!"

"Let me see..." Raan'ita said softly. "I renewed all of my files on her when she was found. Yes I have them, but... If they are the _wrong_ codes..." Kai wordlessly begged her queen to speak and C-Flat stepped aside, a mental caress soothing the human's jarring nerves.

"If the implant keeps spiking, she dies." Kai said softly. "If the implant self destructs, she dies. Could the _Reaper_ do something?" She begged. "I don't want to lose my little sister!"

"Not at long range." Scholar said slowly. "Obligatha believes _it_ may be the cause of this, but we don't know. Kai..." His voice was soft and gentle now. "You are the eldest."

"I don't have the _right_." Kai protested. "Not after everything. Get Crado!"

"I am here." An armored form eased it's way in past the huge bulk of the Rachni queen. Melissa retreated to her side of the room to give the others space. "Melissa?" He asked as Melissa cowered a bit away from him. "I won't hurt you, girl."

"I know..." Melissa shook her head. "I just... Everything... Too much...I need space." Kai nodded to her and looked at Crado who sighed.

"Deactivate her implant." Crado said softly. Raan'ita nodded and started hitting keys. "But that won't be enough, will it?"

"No." Scholar said with a growl. "We need to remove it. And if the damage is as extensive as I fear... Crado... She may not be able to use biotics again."

"_No._" Kai felt the horrified word come from the queen, but it echoed her own exclamation. "We can't do that to her!" Kai continued, stunned.

"As long as she is alive, there is hope, Kai." Scholar said heavily. "As it is... There is none. C-Flat Viridian? How long to prepare the surgery?"

"Ready now." Kai herd her voice reply. The queen sent a silent pulse of apology for presuming on Kai, but Kai sent back a gentle acknowledgement. "Can I release her?"

"Yes." Raan'ita said slowly. "The codes worked. Her implant is deactivated. But... Kaelah..."

"It scorched some of her brain tissue." Scholar said as Kai stumbled back a step. She tripped and would have fallen except Crado caught her and held her until she could recover her balance.

"How... bad...?" Kai managed to grate out.

"We don't know." Raan'ita said softly, her tone moderating as she looked at Kai. "We will need you to translate. You are not squeamish, are you?" The Quarian asked, her tone distracted. Kai just looked at her and the Quarian sighed. "Surgery is _very_ different from a battlefield, but no less messy on occasion. We will not have _time_ to..." She broke off as Kai nodded to Crado, who released her.

"My sister needs me." Kai said calmly. "My queen needs me. Melissa?" The younger girl nodded to Kai. "Stay with Portia. I do _not_ want her left alone." A wordless feeling of approval came from the queen and Kai smiled at C-Flat Viridian. "Where do you need me, doctor? And what do you need me to do?"

"C-flat? Can you make sure the suite is ready? Miranda?" Raan'ita said calmly. "Anya is stable for the moment. Can you get Kai prepped while Scholar and I work to get Anya ready?" The Rachni queen turned carefully and made her way to the door.

"Come with me." Miranda said calmly, her eyes speculative. Kai nodded and followed.

* * *

It was...bad.

Kai had seen horrors on the battlefield, things that to this day troubled her. But this... Seeing her sister lying on her stomach with machines filtering her blood, removing her wastes and breathing for her was bad enough. Seeing Anya's head shaved again and a gaping chasm cut into her skull _bothered_ Kai. She remained where she was, out of the way. The envirosuit had worked as advertised. The harsh cleaning that Miranda had subjected Kai to had scoured any potential contaminants off the suit and her exposed skin. Then the sterile coverings that went over her hands, head and face all made her feel decidedly off. She knew that _any_ potential contamination was bad in any surgery, let alone brain surgery. But it made her feel odd. At least both Scholar and Miranda wore similar garb. Raan'ita had just sealed her suit and cleaned every surface with the care and precision of long practice.

{Kai?} The mental voice of the Rachni queen was kind and gentle. {Anya will live.}

{I know.} Kai replied the same way. {It just... Seeing her like this hurts. She was always so strong and... Oh, C-Flat Viridian...If she loses her biotics...} Fear for her sister colored her mind voice.

{Be calm. We don't _know_ that, Kai.} The queen reassured her retainer. {The damage is extensive, but it is not as bad as I had feared. It seems that the implant started malfunctioning _very_ recently. Maybe while she was finding Mika?}

{She seemed fine when I saw her.} Kai mused. {Then again, she _is_ somewhat tough and stubborn.}

{Why do I get the feeling that the human saying 'Pot meet Kettle' applies to that?} The Rachni asked with a lilt of amusement in her mental voice. Kai shrugged and C-Flat made a soft mental sound of amusement. {You will need rest soon yourself, Kai.}

{I should stay until Jenni... Um...} Kai blinked. {Where _is_ Jenni? I expected _her_ to show up when the alarm went off.}

{Jennifer is occupied.} C-Flat Viridian said calmly. `{Illia can be _very_ persuasive and Jennifer needed the rest.} Kai's eyes went _very_ wide at that, but then she nodded. {Illia took Jennifer to a special part of my ship, one set up for Illia and her...special guests. It is shielded and very private. Oh...} The Rachni looked Kai over. {You will need such a place as well.}

{Not really.} Kai said sadly. {I have had relationships, but none have worked out long term. I can manage.}

{That is _not_ how this works, Kai.} The big alien said calmly. {You are my responsibility. I want you happy, healthy and whole. Unhappiness is a discordant tone, it can seep into anything and everything. Your personal life is _your_ business. But if I realize you _are_ sacrificing your happiness to serve me...} The Rachni made a soft sound that was audible to Kai's ears but no one else in the room seemed to notice. {Just..don't...}

{What?} Kai asked whimsically. {You would lock me in a room with three or four males...and...} She broke off as the queen looked at her. {You wouldn't...} She said, not sure if she was horrified or intrigued.

{Try me.} The Rachni said smugly. {Ask Illia sometime about what it took to get _Anya_ to relax. There is a _reason_ the Asari who were in Purgtory that day call her 'Hurlie girlie'.} Then the queen tensed. {They are finishing.}

Indeed, Scholar was closing up the incision as Kai turned back to look. Raan'ita turned to Kai and C-Flat Viridian and nodded.

"Her implant has been removed. The damage to the surrounding tissue is bad, but we will have to wait and see before we try any therapy." The Quarian sighed. "The injuries were not as bad as they _could_ have been, but... I hate excising what might have been living tissue, but I had to. The burns were bad."

"No one could have done more, healer. Do we know what caused it?" Kai heard her voice ask as the queen posed the question that was foremost on her own mind.

"No." Raan'ita said calmly. "And until we _do_, we will not put another implant in." She looked at the Rachni. "You have a recovery ward set up?" The queen nodded and Raan'ita shook herself. "We will transfer her there as soon as Scholar finishes closing."

"I will stay with her." Kai said slowly. The queen looked at her and Kai nodded. "I brought her here. I owe her. But even if I did not, she is my little sister. With your permission, C-Flat Viridian?" She asked. The queen nodded again and Kai smiled under her surgical mask. Raan'ita nodded and went back to working on Anya.


	51. Chapter 51

The feelings were so familiar. Everything was gentle, relaxing, but Anya couldn't relax. She could feel things attached to her, some sticking, some wrapped around her. After an eternity of lying were she was, maybe five minutes, she tried to move and paused as a soft sigh came from nearby.

"You are just gonna be a pain, aren't you?" Kai's voice was sour. "Good evening, Anya."

"Evening?" Anya asked slowly, not that her brain seemed capable of faster. "I feel... good...Wait..." She paused and made a soft nose of disgruntlement. "Illia knocked me out." She opened her eyes but was not surprised to have them covered by something. It felt soft, but no light trickled past. Again, familiar. She wasn't restrained, but she felt very, very weak.

"C-Flat Viridian did." Kai's voice was gentle. "You know where you are?"

"Yeah. A Rachni recovery bed. I was in one before, after I met C." Anya said with a grimace. "Illia calls it a 'goo bath'. Looks disgusting but it is _very_ relaxing." She sighed as ultrasonics played along her spine, relaxing muscles that had tensed a little. "Oh..." She groaned, half in pain, half in pleasure. "How long?"

"36 hours since the hangar bay." Kai said sadly. "You needed it."

"Portia?" Anya asked softly. "Did she...?"

"Portia is fine." Kai replied evenly. "She slept, woke, ate and is sleeping again. Melissa and Crado have her in hand." Then she bit back a sob. "_You_ are a mess."

"Didn't mean to be." Anya said as she slumped a bit. "Just so much to do."

"I know the feeling, sis." Kai said in a whisper soft voice. Then a gentle hand touched Anya's forehead. "Well, no fever. That is good."

"Fever?" Anya asked sharply. "I was exhausted, not..." She broke off as Kai made a soft noise of interruption. "What?"

"Anya..." Kai said slowly. "You were wrung out emotionally. Then, while you slept, you had seizures." Anya stiffened, but then her body relaxed under the gentle ministrations ultrasonics.

"How bad?" Anya asked slowly, aware than any extreme emotion would trigger the recovery bed's organic systems and likely put her back to sleep.

"You scared the hell out of me, sis." Kai replied in a warm tone. "But you will be okay."

"Kai." Anya pressed. "Don't sugar coat it. How bad?"

"Your implant malfunctioned." Kai said and the same gentle touch rubbed her cheek. Anya took a deep, shuddering breath and Kai hastened to reassure her. "We are trying to figure out why. Obligatha blames itself, but there were _no_ signs of anything wrong after it let you go from it's control."

"More likely something Karinlina did." Anya said, forcing herself to relax. "She _really_ hated me."

"Yeah." Kai agreed sadly. "I am going to tell you flat out, you never liked political correctness anyway..." She had a smile in her voice that vanished when she spoke again. "They removed your implant. There was...damage inside your brain. Burns."

"Around the implant?" Anya asked. "Then my biotic ability..." Considering that the implant connected to the part of the brain that _controlled_ biotic ability in gifted beings...

"We don't know, sis." Kai replied and the gentle touch was back as Anya shivered little despite the warmth that surrounded her. "Easy, Anya. I won't leave you to face this alone. I won't." She sounded in tears.

"Oh Kai..." Anya felt her eyes start to burn. "I... I don't... I..." Suddenly she was crying.

"Oh Anya..." Kai sounded as if she were about to cry too. "Easy... it's okay..." She crooned. "We are _not_ going to leave you to face this alone. You saved us all, Anya. You and Obligatha stopped the machine from killing everyone in the system. _Then_ you saved me, Melissa, Jenni and Portia. The _least_ we can do is be here for _you_, sis."

"Then C did help you." Anya said softly.

"Why do you call her that?" Kai asked, somewhat annoyed. "Its rude."

"She couldn't speak mind to mind when we met." Anya said. Something in Kai's response felt off. "She was drugged. I asked her name and she scribed a 'C' on the floor in the blood of a dead Cerberus flunky. So I call her that. She doesn't mind. She says it's kind of cute." She paused and then grimaced. Kai was trying to divert her. "Kai..."

"I am all right, Anya." Kai replied a little too hastily.

"Kai." Anya said in a warning tone. "What. Happened?" Kai sighed deeply and Anya turned her head to look where the sound came from. Then everything went away. She struggled against the sedation, but it was no use.

She fought her way to consciousness again, struggling with all her might to wake up and stay that way.

"Damn it, Anya!" Kai snapped. "Calm down! You _will_ hurt yourself!"

"Kai..." Anya managed to groan through the drugs. Then a familiar touch calmed her. C Flat Viridian's mind came to Anya's. From nearby! Through the human touch that gently stroked her cheek again! "C... What...?"

{You need to be calm, Anya.} The Rachni said soberly. {Your sister is fine. I... I hurt her when I tried to undo her programming.} Pain came through clearly from the Rachni. Horror etched through Anya but a familiar acerbic voice sounded next in her mind.

{How many times must I say it, C-Flat Viridian?} Kai snapped, annoyed. {It was _not_ your fault! Blame my mom and dad, do _not_ blame yourself.}

{You...} Anya tried to understand what had happened. {C? You...merged with her? Like Illia?}

{It was the only way to save my life, Anya.} Kai said simply. {My mind was a mess. Either Phantom training or whatever programming my _dear_ parents did to me messed me up bad. It's not her fault. She saved me. I have nothing but gratitude for her.} Indeed, the feelings that flooded into Anya were gratitude tinged with exasperation.

{Then no...} Anya said slowly as she relaxed. {Not your fault, C... Not... your fault...} She took that thought into sleep with her.

* * *

When Anya woke next she was lying on a regular bed. She could hear medical gear all around her and feel the tug of IVs and monitor lines on her body. But it was the warm mass that was curled up next to her that had her freezing. She opened her eyes and stiffened. Portia was lying beside her, the young girl's face serene relaxed in sleep. A soft sound had Anya look up to see Crado enter the room and look startled on seeing Portia.

"Portia?" Crado said softly. "What the-?"

"I am sorry." Portia said in a slurred voice. "I didn't mean to be rude or anything, Anya..." She said, her fuzzy eyes meeting Anya's. "Didn't mean to fall asleep. But you were upset. You calmed down when I lay down beside you."

"It's all right, Portia." Anya said in a mild tone. She raised a hand slowly to keep from pulling out the IV attached to it and smoothed the girl's hair. "I am supposed to do that for _you_. At least... " She paused. "That is what Nanny Sara always did for _me_." She shook her head slowly, aware of bandages on it. "Not that I have a clue about being a mother."

"The nightmares are fewer when I am near you." Portia said softly as she snuggled close to Anya. "C-Flat Viridian says they will go away in time. I hope so." Anya laid an arm over her littlest sister and held her while Portia relaxed.

"If C said that, Portia..." Anya said with a smile as she gave the girl a squeeze. "Then you can take it as a given. She doesn't make idle boasts."

"I like her." Portia said in a quiet voice. "She _looks_ horrifying, but she is kind, and gentle and funny... and..." She sighed. "She is a good person. I _never_ thought I would say that about an alien, but she _is_."

"Yeah, she is." Anya said in agreement. "She is a good friend. FAR better than I have ever deserved."

"She disagrees." Crado said softly as he sat by the bed. "Actually, she says something similar about _you_."

"I bet." Anya said in a sour tone. "She has the give of a rock. I..." She shook her head slowly,. "Crado... I..." Portia hugged her as she started to cry. "What is _wrong_ with me?" She asked.

"Hey." Crado said softly, coming to the bedside and sitting down as Portia made space for him. Anya noted that Portia did not flinch as he came close. Apparently her sister had come to terms with her husband. "It's the drugs, Anya. Your emotions are all out of whack. Your head is a mess, but Scholar and C-Flat Viridian are working on something that they say may be a workaround. Until then, you are on bed rest."

"Oh joy..." Anya said with a sigh. "Okay..." She said organizing her thoughts. "How long have I been out and what happened to Mika?"

"Mika." Crado said gently.

"I am here, Crado." The soft voice of the former gardener came from a speaker nearby and Anya's face went slack as she heard it. "Anya, it's okay."

"No..." Anya said, her face going sad. "Mika-san... I... I promised..."

"They cannot remove me from the machinery, Anya." Mika's voice was super gentle now. "Your mother hurt me _very_ badly when she beat me all those years ago." Anya shook her head, horrified, but Mika's voice turned stern "It is _not_ your fault, girl. Do _not_ even think blaming yourself. I knew when I refused to tell her where you were hiding that she would hurt me, maybe kill me. But I was not _about_ to betray you to her."

"But..." Anya shook her head again. "Raan'ita...? Scholar...? C-Flat...? They can't do anything?"

"Anya." Mika's voice turned super soft now. "I am more machine now than woman. I have been on full life support for the last twelve years. If they take me out of the machinery, I die." Anya was shaking now, but Mika was relentless. "Anya... Anya-san. It is not your fault."

"If... If we can't save you..." Anya said slowly, hesitantly. "Then... I gave you my word...I will keep it."

"Things have changed Anya." Mika's voice turned bright. "I _do_ want to make a garden, Anya. And your husband has a few ideas in that regard." Anya looked at Crado who smiled.

"We may not be able to remove her from the machinery, but there is _no_ reason we cannot make her happier." Crado said with a grin. "And us as well."

"What do you mean?" Anya asked, unsure as Portia grinned and hugged her. "Portia? What have you all been discussing while I slept?" She demanded suspiciously.

"Can I tell her?" Portia asked quickly. Crado smiled at her and nodded. "Anya... Scholar and C-Flat Viridian had an idea... You won't be very mobile for a while."

"Beats being stuck in a pod." Anya said with a grin as she embraced Portia again and the girl returned the hug gratefully.

"Well..." Portia sighed. "I am not... Well..." She shrugged. "Mom and dad's idea of 'education' really sucked apparently." Anya looked at her quizzically and Portia smiled. "Crado and Mika want to turn this station into a school."

"Like... Grissom Academy?" Anya asked slowly. "I mean, like it _was_?"

"Yeah." Portia said with a grin. "But not _just_ for humans. For anyone and everyone. This station is huge, Anya. And it can be expanded. And we could..." The girl was almost bubbling in excitement.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Anya said hastily. "Slow down. You _want_ a school?" She hadn't wanted anything to _do_ with school at Portia's age.

"I want to _learn_." Portia said softly, but earnestly. "I thought I knew everything." Her face fell and she sighed sadly. "I knew everything that mom and dad _wanted_ me to know." She said bitterly.

"Ah." Anya said in understanding. The best way to keep people under control? Limit their education. "And now?" She asked carefully.

"Lipa has been teaching me some, in her spare time." Portia said with a sigh. "But she is a soldier. She knows a lot more than I do. But..." Anya nodded as the girl trailed off.

"Yeah." Anya mused. "Her areas of interest are limited by her profession. Crado?"

"I think it is a good idea." The Turian said with a nod. "The last ten years, most of the races have been rebuilding, repopulating... Focusing on surviving above all else. But... survival isn't enough." He said with a sigh.

"No." Anya agreed. "No, it's not. Mika, would you be okay with that?"

"She could teach horticulture!" Portia said, but paused as Anya glared at her. "What?" She asked, confused.

"I think some classes in courtesy would not go amiss." Mika replied for Anya who nodded. Portia looked aghast but Mika just laughed. "It's okay, Portia. But the question was to _me_. It's polite to let _me_ answer, yes?"

"If I have given offense, I apologize." Portia said quickly, her face turning so fearful that Anya stared at her before embracing her.

"No one is going to hurt you again, Portia." Anya said with a smile. "Unless you deserve it. So don't, clear?" Just like that, the subtle tension that had been growing vanished as Portia returned the embrace carefully. Anya paused as Portia squirmed a bit. "You need the facilities?"

"Yeah, but I want to stay." Portia said softly. "They are going to kick me out. The docs."

"Mika." Anya asked. "Keep an eye and ear on Portia. When the docs are done with me, let her know. I think it helps both of us to be close."

"Sure thing, Anya." Mika replied. "Lipa is coming off shift in a few minutes too. She can keep Portia occupied and she will want to see you when the docs are done."

"Lipa and Portia... Oh boy..." Anya said with a sigh that was whimsical. "_Try_ to keep them out of trouble, please."

"Hey, I am a gardener and librarian, not a miracle worker." Mika replied with a lilting laugh as Portia flushed red in embarrassment. "If you need me, call my name Anya." The speaker clicked off and Anya hugged Portia again.

"Go on, Portia." Anya said with a smile as she released her sister. She gave the girl a peck on the cheek that had her sister smiling and then watched as Portia literally bounced off the bed and ran to the door. In seconds, she was gone. "Ah, youth...Were we _ever_ that young, Crado?" Anya asked softly.

"Once, maybe." Crado replied. "In the mists of antiquity. Oh Anya... Stop _scaring_ me..." He said with a frown as he leaned close and embraced her gently. Then he was crying as he held her and she was crying softly as well. "Anya..." He said as he held her close.

"I am sorry, Crado." Anya said through her tears. "I am so sorry. I never meant to scare you. I never meant to leave you. I _tried_ to get back. I tried to get a message to you! I swear it..."

"I know." Crado said, calming slightly. "Scholar said that it took years for him to figure out the com systems and even then, it wasn't _safe_ for the kids for him to be sending messages to the Turian military _or_ the Alliance."

"Especially from an ostensibly dead woman." Anya agreed. "We had figured a work around. I would go to Illium once I healed enough, send a message to you from _there_. But then Cerberus attacked before Scholar could get back and..." She sighed. "It all went to hell."

"Usually does." Crado agreed. "Especially around us." He grumped. "Ah well... Ready for the docs?"

"I guess..." Anya said, scrubbing her face with her hands. "I get the feeling it is not good news." Crado shook his head and Anya slumped a bit before nodding. "I am ready." Crado smiled at her and tapped his omni-tool. A few minutes later the door to her room hissed open and two forms came in. Both Raan'ita and Scholar looked worried, but brightened as they saw Anya sitting up and looking at them. Then Raan'ita scowled.

"You should not be sitting up, Anya." The Quarian said heavily.

"_Bite_ me, Raan'ita." Anya retorted. She smirked as both Crado and Scholar laughed and even Raan'ita smiled a little. "You took out my implant. How bad was it?" She asked as both docs came to her bedside and Crado rose and stepped away.

"Bad." Raan'ita said with a sigh as she sat where Crado had been. She took Anya's hand in her own and sighed again. "I... We didn't want to do it, Anya."

"I know." For once, Anya's tone had no mirth in it. "I wish you hadn't had to, but... If you had to, then no one else could have done better, Raan'ita." She said, giving her friend's hand a squeeze. "You and Scholar need to find another hobby. Putting me back together must be getting old."

"It is." Raan'ita's sorrowful face belied her words. "Scholar worked to limit the damage while I took out the implant. But the burns were significant, Anya. There seems to be little loss of motor control, but..."

"My biotic ability..." Anya said slowly. "That area of the brain coordinates the generation of mass effect fields. I..." She took a deep breath. "How soon will we know?" One look at Raan'ita's eyes told Anya the story though. "Oh. I see..."

"I am sorry, Anya." Raan'ita said softly. "We did what we could."

"Do _not_ blame yourself, Raan'ita." Anya said softly. "Do we know _why_ my implant malfunctioned?"

"It did not malfunction." Scholar said with a snarl. "We have taken it apart and the evidence is clear. It was sabotaged. Apparently shortly after you arrived here. We have been searching the records and have found the approximate time..." He broke off as Anya nodded.

"When Karinlina killed my kid." Anya's soft words were not a question. Raan'ita nodded and gave her hand another squeeze. "She is dead and gone. Now we have to deal with the fallout. So... no biotics."

"No." Scholar agreed. "C-Flat Viridian is trying to find some kind of way to regenerate your tissue, but with it _burned_... It is refusing to regenerate. She _thinks_ she may be able to transplant in a _Rachni_ organ that does something similar, but I am not so sure."

"Well, we are both levo type races." Anya said slowly. "So it _should_ be a little easier than trying to create a hybrid from a human and Turian." A pang of regret shot through her at that but then she paused as both Raan'ita and Scholar looked at Crado, expectantly. "What?" Anya asked.

"Anya?" Crado asked calmly. "Do you want another child?"

"_What?_" Anya asked. "I can't bear another."

"Yes, you can." Scholar said gently. "It will require some help, both from me and C-Flat Viridian, but you _can_." A feeling shot through Anya at that. It was hope, fear, anger, sadness, all kinds of things, all at once...

"I..." Anya shook her head, stunned. "I don't know..." She said, confused. "Crado?"

"I could cop out and say 'I want what you want', Anya." Crado said with a shrug. "But I like my health." Anya had to smile at his tone. "And I would _treasure_ a child if we made one between us."

"How?" Anya asked in a child-like voice. "I mean... I can't bear... My womb is all torn up..."

"How did you bear children for a race not your own, Anya?" Scholar asked gently. "I will take material from you and Crado, make you both a child."

"You could do that?" Anya asked, stunned. "But..."

"Ethically, it is somewhat questionable." Scholar said with a sigh. "So we are bumping it up to the Citadel Council. But I _highly_ doubt that they will deny the request. We are not _doing_ genetic manipulation. This is a medical treatment for a wounded veteran. The Turian Hierarchy in particular is going to be..." He paused as Crado snorted. "Yes?"

"If they like their _health_, the Hierarchy will keep their claws off." Crado said with a slightly savage smile. "The troops who knew Anya -and that is a _bunch_ of them- won't stand for any political hanky panky."

"The Asari and Salarians as well." Raan'ita said with a smile. "Of _all_ the councilors, the one who are _most_ likely to argue will be the human."

"Let me guess." Anya said with a sigh. "Acquaintance of my birth father. Is _he_ still here?" She asked sourly.

"No." Raan'ita said with a scowl. "Good thing too. He was about to be lynched by the Protheans when he wouldn't shut up so Spectre Williams took him back to the Citadel for 'questioning'."

"Here is hoping they make it hurt." Anya said with a scowl. "So... prognosis?"

"You have been in the bed for almost forty eight hours, Anya. You are going to be a bit weak. " Raan'ita said with a smile. "So some exercise will do you good. But..." She scowled at Crado as he grinned. "No horizontal calisthenics! Your cranial blood pressure is low, Anya. We want it that way for a bit. If you get it too high, you _will_ start to bleed inside your brain. And that would be -in surgeon speak- 'bad'." Anya paled a little at that.

"Yeah." Anya said slowly. "Subdural Hematoma... bad."

"Or Aneurism." Raan'ita said with a sigh. She patted Anya's hand. "I know you haven't seen him for a while, Anya, but _please_..." She begged.

"Crado." Anya said calmly. "We can't."

"I know." Her husband agreed. "Any idea how long, doc?" He asked.

"We will need to see." Raan'ita said slowly. "At _least_ a couple of days." She waved a finger at him. "Unless you _do_ want to kill her. In which case you _better_ run far and fast."

"I know." Crado replied. "Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder, Anya."

"_That_ was _bad_, Crado. You _awful_ Turian, paraphrasing Shakespeare!" Anya said with a frown that twitched and then yawned hugely. "Aw, heck... Raan'ita?" She asked, resigned. "Time to sleep again?" Raan'ita ran her omni-tool for a moment and then nodded. "Did Crado tell you about the school idea?"

"Yes." Raan'ita said gently. "I like the school idea. But later. Now, sleep." She fiddled with something and Anya was summoning the energy to argue as she nodded off.


	52. Chapter 52

Anya took a deep breath to calm herself and stood quietly while Raan'ita fussed. The hospital gown she wore was far warmer than a normal one. Anya smiled a little. C-Flat Viridian was a momma hen at times, the Rachni certainly wouldn't let her freeze. But Raan'ita was speaking again.

"I know you are stubborn, Anya." The medic was saying. "But you _know_ better. You should _not_ be out of bed yet. It's been less than two days since we took out your implant. I _know_ how fast you recover, Anya, but..." The Quarian shook her head as Anya laid a hand on her arm. "I just.."

"I know, Raan'ita." Anya said sadly. "But when the Citadel Council 'requests' to speak with someone 'at the earliest possible convenience'..." The human soldier shrugged.

"I don't care _what_ they say..." Raan'ita snapped. "You are _not_ going to be standing for this. You are _not_ strong enough. If they have a problem, they can take it up with _me_." The Quarian checked her omni-tool's readout for the upteenth time and scowled. "Your blood pressure is elevated..." Anya just looked at her and Raan'ita actually laughed a little. "Okay, okay, I am a bit stressed myself. But I _am_ your doctor, Anya. If you start to feel bad, _tell_ me." Raan'ita begged. "We nearly lost you _again_. I..." Raan'ita shook her head. "I don't want my bungling to be responsible for..." She broke off as Anya embraced her.

"Raan'ita..." Anya said softly. "It's okay. It will be okay. In _this_ I will follow your orders. The chair?"

"Here." Crado said as he pulled a wheel chair from the closet and unfolded it quickly. Anya lowered herself into it with Raan'ita's help. It galled her that she needed help, but she was nowhere _near_ recovered yet. But as she said, when the _Council_ called, people tended to answer. Or the _next_ time the Council called, they were not as nice. He spread a blanket over the human's knees and nodded.

Anya sat quiet as Raan'ita moved the IV bag from the bed pole to a pole she extended from the chair. But she did squeak a little as Raan'ita opened her shirt.

"Hey!" She protested as Raan'ita placed a small device against her sternum. "That's cold!" She said as the device stuck to her undershirt.

"Hush, Anya." Raan'ita said severely as she closed Anya's tunic. "It's a heart monitor. I want to have eyes on your vitals the whole time."

"But you said I am recovering." Anya said sourly. "Was that wrong?"

"No." Raan'ita replied with a grin. "I just don't want any _more_ surprises. Do you want something to keep you calm? I don't like the blood pressure readings."

"Raan'ita..." Anya said reasonably. "I am wondering if they are going to lock me up for being an illegal experiment in genetics. I am worried about whatever support my birth father may have garnered." She leaned forward and patted the Quarian's hand. "I am _not_ worried about the repairs you and Scholar did. I know better." She said with a grin.

"Oh, Anya." Raan'ita chuckled sourly at Anya's dry humor. "You are as crazy as ever."

"Guilty as charged, Ma'am." Anya said with a smile that faded. "Don't..." She slumped a bit. "Raan'ita... if the Council _does_ choose to incarcerate me...Don't do anything dumb."

"If they do." Raan'ita said sternly. "It is likely to spark another war." The Quarian said with a snarl. "And no, I am _not_ being dramatic."

"Raan'ita..." Anya said, horrified. "No."

"Anya." Crado said softly as he knelt down to look her in the eyes. "Between the survivors of the team, all us... The Turian Hierarchy for whom we did a LOT of jobs during the war, the Asari matriarchy after we rescued so many from the processing center on Thessia, the STG guys we helped out, the Alliance, -including the _Batarians_ who nearly revere you- and now the Protheans -who _do_ revere you- and even a few _Reapers_..." He shook his head, awed. "Not even a _politician_ can be dumb enough to ignore _that_ kind of support." He said with a grin. "And if they _are_?" He shrugged. "Then I guess I will just have to abscond with you and live in sin somewhere hidden. I hear Omega is nicer now." Raan'ita laughed at Anya's expression. Then Anya laughed a little.

"Halfway tempted to run now." Anya said with a grin that wasn't strained. "Thank you, Crado." Her tone was heartfelt. "You always did know how to make me laugh. And I needed it."

"Well, least I could do after all the times you saved my sorry fringe, Ma'am." Crado said with a smile as he rose. "You ready?"

Anya rolled her shoulders to work any kinks out and then nodded. Raan'ita laid a hand on Anya's shoulder. Anya covered it with her own for a moment. Neither spoke. Neither needed to. Crado wheeled the chair towards the door and it hissed open. Just outside, Anya's sisters waited. But not alone. Kai stood with C-Flat Viridian. Jenni and Illia were almost intertwined next to the Rachni and Anya carefully hid a smile at that. Melissa was standing with Portia and Scholar. A team of Prothean soldiers stood near the only other door. But it was the quantum entanglement communicator feeds that Anya focused on. Four holo images were showing on them. Crado wheeled Anya's chair forward until he and she were between the others and the holograms. Anya studied the holos.

Councilors Sparatus and Tevos she had met during the war. Councilor Valern, apparently somehow still spry, she had never actually dealt with, but she HAD traded intel with his office a few times. It was the human woman who stood aloof that Anya did not know. From her expression, Anya was glad of that. Anya took a deep breath and spoke evenly.

"Captain Anya Solinus reporting to the Citadel Council as ordered." Anya said softly, but clearly. "Pardon my inability to rise."

"After what you have been through, Captain..." Councilor Tevos said compassionately. "_No one_ is going to make comments on a lack of military decorum. No one sane anyway." The Asari said with a smile that faded. "We have read the reports, Captain and Spectre Williams has been very thorough in her own investigation." Anya nodded. "We seem to have two major interconnected problems. Your own status and the machine."

"Yes, Ma'am." Anya said with a nod.

"Your thoughts, Captain Solinus?" Tevos asked after looking at her colleagues.

"The machine doesn't work, Ma'am." Anya said soberly. "Obligatha's people built it, but it was flawed and detonated, killing half it's race. Leaving the rest as easy pickings for the Reapers. The Protheans..." She did _not_ look to where Lipa stood with the others of her reconstituted race. "...experimented with it, but could not make it work so they abandoned the design as unworkable. Mr. Wilson Fuentes apparently found the design in the Prothean archives on Mars just after the site had been found and decided to try and build it. I don't know his reasons."

"Our...interrogations have borne some fruit." Valern said softly. Anya looked at him and he nodded. "He found it was a large scale control mechanism for machines, but he could not access it, use it even after he had built it. He believed it to be the ultimate defense mechanism. But he couldn't use it."

"He didn't have the right genetics." Anya said into the silence that sounded. "So he made us..." She waved a slow hand at her sisters. "To access the machine."

"Yes." Valern said with a grimace. "But... if the machine _could_ be made to work..." He paused as Anya raised a hand. "Yes, Captain?"

"Councilor, Obligatha's people were incredible builders by all accounts." Anya said slowly. "I have spoken with it, since my rescue." The human councilor seemed on the verge of saying something, but then shut her mouth. "According to Obligatha -who should know- it's people designed the machine, built it, powered it and used it in less than two _hours_ after the Reapers invaded their system." All four of the Councilors looked shocked at that and Anya nodded. "According to Obligatha, the design is fundamentally flawed. It's people were not perfect. The power systems are unstable. It is not something that can be fixed. Thank god." Anya said softly. "Just the _thought_ of someone like my birth father able to use something like that makes me sick. The only known example of the device has been destroyed as well."

"Captain..." Councilor Sparatus said slowly. "We must be sure in this. You _asked_ the Reaper to possess you?"

"Yes." Anya said simply.

"_Why?_" The human snapped. Anya looked at her and the woman flushed. "That's insane."

"I don't know you." Anya said softly.

"Ah..." The human councilor paused and then sighed. "Captain Solinus, my name is Sarah Norifica. I was asked to replace Admiral Hackett as Councilor after his heart attack."

"Hackett had a heart attack?" Anya snapped, concern for her former commander overriding her decorum. Crado laid a hand on her arm and she looked at him. "Crado..." She looked back at the holos when the Salarian Councilor made a noise of compassion.

"Be at ease, Captain." Councilor Valern said soothingly. "Admiral Hackett recovered, but he decided that he was, as he put it 'Too old for this'. He stepped down, retired to Earth to help in the reconstruction." Anya nodded to the Councilor and the Salarian continued. "You have to admit, Captain... what you did seems...unlikely."

"While I was in the machine, I could speak to Obligatha mind to mind." Anya said with a nod. "It... ah... It's people _created_ the machine and it felt a certain responsibility. Odd..." Anya said softly. "I never thought to hear a Reaper express regret, but Obligatha _does_ regret what it did." All four councilors looked at one another, but did not interrupt. "I _did_ ask Obligatha to possess me, to take control, to stop the machine from killing everyone in the system."

"So instead, it killed everyone in the room but one and mistreated the prisoner." Councilor Norifica snapped.

"It asked for surrenders." Anya said mildly. "And _two_ people in the room survived." Anya corrected the Councilor. "And... um... Councilor... anyone _dumb_ enough to _shoot_ at a Reaper possessed being that is _trying_ to take them alive... Well..." She shrugged. "As for mistreating? I would love to see _anyone_ try and bring Obligatha to court for that. It was...upset."

"You hate for your mother was well known." The human councilor snapped. "Was this revenge?"

"I was kind of dead at the time, Ma'am." Anya said in that same mild tone. "Or so everyone -including me- believed. My hatred for my mother..." Anya sighed deeply. "Yes, yes I hated her. She used fear and pain to keep her children in line. She wanted us to hate her. She _beat_ a gentle gardener almost to _death_, councilor. Mika Mitaka was a woman who moved spiders and slugs to keep them from being hurt when she worked. And the reason she was beaten? Mika was protecting _me_ from my mother's wrath, Councilor. So yes, I hated her. I hate her still." Anya admitted slowly. "When her agents captured me this last time, she tortured me again. She sabotaged my biotic implant to sear the inside of my brain. An injury that may render me unable to _ever_ use biotics again. And top it all off, she killed my unborn child. How would _you_ react, Councilor?" Anya asked, struggling for calm. Horror etched across all four faces at Anya's revelation. "Hate is a mild word for how I felt about her. How I still feel about her."

"Your child?" Tevos managed to speak first. Anya nodded and the Asari sighed deeply. "You have my condolences, Captain." Sparatus and Valern nodded. Norifica did not, Anya noticed.

"Thank you, Councilor Tevos." Anya said sadly. "It's hard. Harder than fighting, harder than commanding others to fight and watching them die..." She shook herself. "But that is neither here nor there. My siblings and I were created to be keys to the machine. We were genetically modified in vitro to be both more and less than human." Anya said precisely. "What is to happen to us?"

"We are not sure." Sparatus said with a nod. "If your genetics ARE triggers for this machine, then you and all of your siblings could be used as igniters for these doomsday weapons." Anya nodded soberly. "Even without the ability to control, the sheer magnitude of the resulting blast would be devastating." He shook his head. "Add to that the fact that the machine as it was does not fall into any scanner definition of weapon and... well.." He shrugged. "You see where this is going, Captain."

"I do, Councilor.' Anya agreed. "Although, technically, only MY genetics would have worked. Maybe Portia's as she is my genetic twin, created from my DNA when I was supposedly slain during the war."

"And _how_ many times have you died, Captain?" Tevos asked, somewhat whimsically.

"Once that I know of, Ma'am." Anya answered her seriously. "When I was shot by the Collectors on Sanctum. It was a miracle of technology that brought me back. Prothean technology at that. This last time, people _thought_ I was dead, but neither my body or mind died. It was... odd..." She admitted. "Not something I care to repeat. Ever."

"I understand." Tevos said with a nod. "But... This places the Council in a difficult position, Captain Solinus." Anya nodded to her. "The ban on genetic engineering is there for a reason."

"I couldn't agree more." Anya said sourly. "_Especially_ after what happened to me."

"However..." Councilor Velern spoke up. "All of the information that we have discovered has pointed the same way. You are a victim of a crime, not a perpetrator of said crime." He shook his head and the Turian Councilor spoke up.

"The law is the law, Captain." Sparatus said slowly. "But... Laws are there to be interpreted, not followed blindly." Anya could feel the tension in the room slowly dissipate a bit. "The letter of any law rarely covers every situation. That is why we have judges and other legal experts, to find ways to make the laws work the way they are supposed to. Why do we have law, Captain Solinus?" The old Turian asked calmly.

"To protect society from those who would harm it, sir." Anya replied evenly. "To allow people to live without fear."

"Depends on the law." Tevos interjected with a grimace. Anya shared her grimace, remembering what had happened to Liara T'Soni. "But... Pretty much. So..." The ancient Asari sighed and nodded. "The Council has come to a decision." Anya took a deep breath and would have risen, except Tevos raised a hand. "No, Captain, stay seated. I do NOT want your doctor angrier with me than she already is." A chuckle ran around the room as Anya looked at Raan'ita who looked impassive, except... Yes, that was a wink! Anya sat back in the wheelchair and nodded to each Councilor in turn.

"Captain Anya Solinus, it is the finding of this Council that you are not guilty of genetic manipulation that violates Council statutes." Sparatus said slowly. "But at the same time, you do present a danger. An unquantifiable one currently." Anya's eyes narrowed.

"Unquantifiable, sir?" Anya asked when he stopped speaking.

"Yes." Sparatus said with a nod. "The machine that you know of was destroyed. But..." He shrugged. "Cerberus rarely left sensitive information lying about, or in one place alone. They likely have the plans." Anya inhaled sharply and he nodded. "This means that you and your siblings COULD be used by those...terrorists to trigger weapons of mass destruction."

"I had hoped this would be the end of them." Anya said with a sigh. "But I am a realist."

"Cerberus has many faces." Velern said with a nod. "Many different factions within their group. Isn't that right, Councilor Norifica?" Anya turned a questioning gaze at the human woman on the holo who flushed.

"Yes" The human councilor said with a nod. "Once, I was part of Cerberus, Captain Solinus. I was...an associate of your father's."

"Were you involved in this, Ma'am?" Anya asked, her voice tightly controlled.

"No." Norifica said with a grimace. "I cut all ties a long time ago. Before the war, actually. But I DID know your father. I had... had counted him a friend. Until... this...I knew he was Cerberus, I thought former like me." She shook her head. "Cerberus was not SUPPOSED to be this. It was supposed to be a shield..." She broke off as Anya spoke in a low tone.

"...not a dagger in humanity's back." Anya said softly. "Shepard said that." Anya bowed her head and when she raised it, she was SHOCKED to see all the others had done the same. "Hey! Shepard was no deity!"

"I know." Sarah replied. "WE know. I was blind to what Cerberus was when I was younger Captain. Shepard saved us all from the Illusive Man's blindness. And THEN she saved us from the Reapers. You cannot blame those who DO consider her a patron saint of sorts."

"I know what she would say to those people, Councilor." Anya said with a smile. "She would say 'Get a life'." All four Councilors smiled at that. Then Anya sighed. "So what is to be done to me?" The other Councilors looked at Velern who nodded.

"You will be under surveillance for the rest of your life, Captain." The Salarian said gently. "A precaution we hope will not be needed."

"Am I to be confined?" Anya asked far more calmly than she felt.

"No." Tevos said with a grin. "You are going to be busy. _Very_ busy." Anya's eyes narrowed at that and the Asari nodded. "A plan was forwarded to our offices. A plan for a center of education." Anya went very still at that and Tevos nodded. "We can think of few better ways to rehabilitate former Cerberus personnel and facilities than to make them useful. And education is always useful for combating blind fanaticism."

"You..." Anya struggled to get words out past her suddenly closed throat. "You mean...?"

"Yes." Tevos said gently. "You are designated headmistress of that station and will be given resources and personnel to revamp it into a school. Have you had any ideas on curriculum?"

"Ah... No." Anya admitted. "I mean, I just found out about the idea _this morning_." She complained sourly.

"Well, in that case,..." Tevos smiled warmly. "We will leave you to it. We will be watching, Captain Solinus, but no more than that until and unless it is needed." Anya nodded. "Do you have any questions?"

"Only one." Anya said softly. "A name for the school?"

"We thought we would leave that up to you." The human councilor said quietly. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I do." Anya said slowly. "But I have to ask General Garrus Vakarian first." All four of the Councilors shared a look and then nodded in unison. "Thank you, Councilors." Anya said formally.

"No, Captain." Tevos said with a smile. "Thank _you_. Because of you, this Cerberus threat has been nullified. I wish the cost had been less dear to you." Anya nodded sadly. "But you have also done a miracle, in rebuilding the Prothean race." Anya would have protested, but Tevos raised a hand to cut her off. "You may not agree, but you did a marvel, Captain." Anya swallowed and then nodded slowly. "The Council remembers those who serve it well, Captain. Never forget that." All three of the others nodded and then they faded out. Tevos remained however for a moment. "I understand from some reports that they are going to TRY and make you another child?"

"I..." Anya stiffened in place, unsure. ""It was planning stages only, Ma'am..."

"The Council cannot officially condone such a thing." Tevos said in a repressive voice that was spoiled by the twinkle in her eyes. "It DOES violate certain statues against genetic manipulation." Anya slumped in place, but froze as Tevos chuckled. "Not that laws would stop your friends for long, but... You have our 'un-offical and off the record' blessing, Captain. Keep it quiet." Tevos warned.

"I..." Anya stammered, undone. "I don't know what to say..."

"You don't need to say anything." Tevos laughed delightedly. "It was the least we could do. Hurli girlie." Then the holo cut off.


	53. Chapter 53

**Sorry for the delay, had to visit family and no computer there. (The horror!)**

* * *

"Why did Councilor Tevos call you that?" Portia asked after the hubbub of congratulations to Anya subsided a bit. "That was...weird."

"Yeah it was." Anya agreed. "But as to why... Well... It's a long story. Alcohol was involved."

"Don't give her _that_, Anya." Illia said with a grin from where she stood. "It's a good story!" Anya groaned and Illia smiled wider as she looked to where Portia was staring at her elder sister. "A bunch of us tried to get Anya to relax, during the war. She had been hurt -_again_- and had just been released from the hospital, you see..."

"Illia... please..." Anya begged. Portia smiled a bit sadly as she stepped up to where Anya was sitting and took her sister's hands in hers.

"It can wait." The youngest of Anya's siblings said to Illia as the Asari trailed off. Then she grinned. "I _am_ going to want to hear the whole story, sis." Illia smiled at Anya and nodded.

"It _is_ a good story, Anya." Illia said gently.

"What I remember of it..." Anya said under her breath. "Don't start drinking, Portia... It _really_ messes things up." Crado smiled from her side.

"Indeed it does." The Turian said with a nod. "Alcohol messes with all kinds of things in the head. It _is_ a poison after all."

"Then why drink it?" Portia asked, confused. "That doesn't make sense."

"No, it doesn't." Anya agreed. "But people have been doing it since the dawn of time. A time honored tradition of stupidity." She said with a smile. "That was the first -and last- time I drank that much. Never again." She said with a shudder.

"It did you good, Anya." Illia said gently from where she and Jenni were standing. "You needed to 'let your hair' down as humans say." She turned to Portia and spoke evenly. "Portia, alcohol is a depressant. A drug in other words. In high doses any drug can be dangerous. And Anya, well... She ingested some _seriously_ high doses of several kinds of alcohol. But none of us were going to let her go too far."

"I vomited on Aria T'Loak, Illia." Anya said softly with a shudder. "I _think_ that qualifies as 'too far'."

"She didn't care." Illia said with a grin. "She was having just as much fun as the rest of us were."

"You _threw up_ on the queen of Omega?" Crado said slowly, disbelieving. "Where was I during all this?"

"I had gotten shot up on that solo mission." Anya replied with a sigh. "You were off doing what you do second best. You took the whole team out to hit the harvesting center on Elysium." Raan'ita and Crado both looked at her and Anya flushed. "It was 'Top Secret', okay? I couldn't talk about it for fear of Cerberus or the Reapers finding out about C." The Turian and Quarian looked at each other and then nodded.

"Your discretion was appreciated, Anya." C-Flat Viridian said through Kai. "But now, you need more rest." Raan'ita nodded, her expression calm, but adamant.

"Pushy healers." Anya griped as Crado turned her chair to push her out of the room. "Raan'ita?" She asked.

"Yes, Anya?" The Quarian replied as she kept pace with the chair easily.

"I need to talk to Garrus, face to face." Anya said softly. "Is that going to be possible?"

"I think so." Raan'ita said dryly as the door ahead of them hissed open and the tall form of Garrus Vakarian was seen just beyond it. Anya favored the healer with a long look and Raan'ita just grinned. "General?"

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about." Garrus said with as smile to Anya who returned it. "You really _do_ go for interspecies teams don't you?" He asked rhetorically as he looked around. "Add some Salarians and Krogan and it would be downright homey."

"General." Anya stated calmly. "I have a formal request."

"Oh?" Garrus asked. "Go ahead."

"I knew Shepard, Garrus." Anya said, her eyes suddenly burning. "I know exactly how she would feel about people making her a deity of sorts."

"Yeah." Garrus replied sourly, leaning against the wall as Crado stopped the chair near the door. "I _doubt_ she would have been polite."

"Me too." Anya said softly. "But this request is to Shepard's partner, her mate. Shepard wouldn't have wanted a huge memorial, or statue or anything. It would have embarrassed her."

"True." Garrus said with a sigh. "Where are you going with this, Anya?"

"The Council has given me permission to create a school here on this station, Garrus." Anya said softly. "I want it to be interspecies, and full spectrum. Everything from history to horticulture. From mathematics to languages. From architecture to music. From medicine to ethics. The ability to feel each other is a huge asset, but there is _so_ much that other species can teach us, that we can teach them. I want this place to be where that can happen."

"I like it." Garrus said softly, his tone bemused. "A place of education built from a place of fanaticism." Then he smiled. "Shepard would like that. But... why do you want me...?" The he stiffened. "You want to name it after her."

"I do." Anya said simply. "She was the bravest, noblest and most badass being I have met in my life." The chair bound captain said soberly. "But more than anything else, she wanted peace." Raan'ita nodded at Anya's side and Garrus did as well. Anya continued slowly. "She wanted people to understand one another. To be able to live in peace. She fought -hard- to get that. What can I do, but follow in her footsteps, Garrus?"

"I see." Garrus said, straightening. Then he nodded slowly. "She _would_ like that." He said with a smile that faltered a little. "What would you call it?" He asked after a moment.

"The Jane Shepard-Vakarian Center of Learning." Anya said softly. Garrus stared at her and she rose slowly to her feet, despite a cluck of disapproval from Raan'ita. "...and I would be honored if you would accept a position as an instructor."

"Teaching _what_?" Garrus asked as she stepped towards him slowly. He shook his head. "You _know_ Raan'ita is going to make you pay for standing, don't you?"

"I know, but... This is important, Garrus." Anya said softly. "I need to say something, but it is _only_ for your ears." All the others in the room looked at each other as Anya staggered to Garrus, who caught her easily and held her so she could speak into his ear. She whispered something and he recoiled as if slapped. She sighed as she retreated a little. "I don't know if it was real, or a dream."

"For now, let's just assume it was real. Less painful if we are right." Garrus said with a grin. "Any idea what you want me to teach?"

"Not at the moment." Anya said as she carefully made her way back to the chair. Crado helped her sit again as Raan'ita glared at her. Then she grinned. "I was thinking mechanical engineering. There are _lots_ of things to calibrate." She said with a smirk.

"You are hurt, Anya." Garrus said with a growl that was completely undone by his smile. "Be glad I can't hurt you further without getting ripped to shreds by your minions." The harsh words were belied by the wide smile on his face.

"I have an ulterior motive, actually." Anya said with a smile. "With _you_ here, we will _also_ have a galactic level archeologist nearby, yes?"

"And _she_ will need something to keep _her_ from moping." Garrus said with a matching grin. But then it faltered. "And Jani?"

"I figure that this place will need care for youngsters." Anya said slowly. "So we figure out _what_ we need for her, and hopefully, there won't be too many differences if we get kids from other races."

"Children?" Portia perked up.

"Yes." Anya said softly. "All ages. I knew of at least two human women who would _love_ to teach at a place like this, but they had dependent children. So we will need pre-school and lower age schools too."

"You are talking about a full spectrum education." Melissa said from her spot. "People would live here, study, work and everything. That is...audacious, sis."

"Who dares, wins, Melissa." Anya said with a smile. She spoke to the air. "Mika? How long to change the Cerberus colors to something more suitable?"

"The logos can be removed in a few hours of work. We will need a new one." The voice of the woman connected to the stations computers was bemused. "You want me to teach horticulture?"

"_And_ I want a large garden." Anya said slowly. "Actually two. One with levo amino acids plants, one dextro. Hydroponics will be a good source of food and a healthy diet is part of cultivating a healthy mind." Portia stared at her and Anya smiled. "And _yes_, Portia I _am_ going to make you eat your vegetables."

"Tyrant." Portia said with a grimace.

"Oh you haven't seen anything yet." Anya said with a grin that faded. "And... as for a logo to replace Cerberus'... I think a blue shield with a human frigate flying across it will work."

"Like this?" Mika asked as a wall screen came alive. On it, a small human starship flew, it's thrusters flaring.

"The Normandy..." Garrus breathed. "SR-1..."

"I thought it appropriate." Mika said gently.

"It is." Garrus said with a nod. "Thank you, Mika Mitaka."

"Just call me Mika if we are going to be teaching together." Mika said with a laugh. "And I can have two hydroponic garden spaces cleared by the end of the day, Anya."

"Good." Anya said with a smile. One that faltered as she looked at Raan'ita who stared at her. "Raan'ita, i know you love flying around on your ship, but... I could use you."

"The Merciful Flight will be around, Anya." Raan'ita said with a smile. "I am not leaving until I am sure you are recovered anyway. But..." She shook her head. "If you _are_ going to have education facilities for children..." She mused. "Mine could use some broadening."

"I will take good care of them." Anya promised.

"You better." Raan'ita said with a smile. "I know where you live." Anya grinned at that and then turned to the Rachni.

"C?" Anya asked softly. "I can think of _no one_ more suited to teach music."

"I..." The queen said slowly through Kai. "I will need to ask my parent. But I don't see a problem. I assume Scholar and his people are going to stay?"

"I prefer to teach." The ancient Prothean said with a nod. "Biosciences and medicine are my specialties. I always preferred research to field work anyway."

"Then we have the beginning of a faculty." Anya said softly. Then she turned to her siblings. "Kai, Melissa, Jenni, Portia. You heard the Councilor." All four of them nodded soberly. "We should stick together."

"I am with C-Flat Viridian." Kai said softly. "We have to visit her family, but then... I am with her." Kai smiled at the huge Rachni and nodded." And _she_ says she is with _you_. So you are stuck with me." Anya smiled at that and looked at Melissa who nodded.

"I don't know what I could teach, Anya..." Melissa said hesitantly. "All I know is being a sniper."

"Tracking, stalking...Wilderness survival..." Any amused. "Hmmm... Did you ever use a camera on the job, sis?"

"Occasionally." Melissa said with a frown. "Recon was part of my job. Why?"

"So you know the basics of photography." Anya said with a nod. "How about swimming? I remember you loved to swim."

"Yeah." Melissa said a bit dubiously. "But we are on a _space station_, sis. Not a lot of water."

"I think that is going to change." Anya said with a grin. "If we get any Hanar here, they would prefer aquatic environments. Mika...?" She asked the air. "_Can_ we install a pool?"

"There is space." Mika said with a smile in her voice. "And we have sufficient power to maintain it."

"You are _kidding_." Melissa said, her face lighting up. "I..."

"For now, we will see about you getting some more training in photography." Anya said slowly, but then she paused. "Wait... Did you study oceanography?"

"A bit." Melissa said slowly. "I enjoy-..." She shook her head. "Anya..." She said sourly.

"More than 2/3 of _Earth_'s surface is covered by water, Melissa." Anya said slowly. "Other planets have more. Combine swimming with photography and oceanography and what do you get?"

"I dunno." Melissa said sourly. "A bunch of wet pictures?" A laugh circled the room as Anya groaned at her sister's bad joke.

"Environmentalism." Anya said softly. "Naturalism. Marine biology. And that is just the start, Melissa." Anya said with a smile as Melissa looked thoughtful. Anya turned to where Illia and Jenni stood. "Jenni."

"I am not going anywhere, sis." Jennifer said solidly. "Not now, not ever. For me, medicine, although..." She paused. "I _would_ like to look into epidemiology." Both Raan'ita and Scholar looked at her and she nodded. "Lots of diseases out there."

"You would have my support." Raan'ita said with a shudder. "We have run into some _nasty_ diseases recently." Scholar nodded as well. Anya smiled and turned to her youngest sibling.

"Portia." Anya said soberly. "This is going to be a massive change. It won't be easy."

"Easy is boring." Portia said with a grin. "Lots to learn."

"Indeed." A soft, but adamant voice came from the squad of Protheans and Lipa strode forward. "And now..."

"More lessons." Portia said with a grin. "Shall we?" She extended her hand to Lipa who smiled and took it.

"Let's." The young female Prothean and young female human strode from the room to the incredulous stares of all the humans, the Quarian, the Asari _and_ the Rachni.

"Wow..." Anya said softly in the stunned silence. "It took a _lot_ of work to get _me_ to the tutors when I was her age. I guess she really _does_ want to learn."

"And she idolizes Lipa." Scholar said with a smile. "It _might_ be a good idea to steer Portia away from soldierly pursuits." He said seriously.

"No." Anya said after a moment. "She deserves the chance to make up her own mind. We will give her options, but no more. We will let her learn as much as she can and make her own choices. But for now... I go back to bed and we get started on remodeling." She said with a wince as she moved in her seat, trying to get comfortable. "Scholar? Raan'ita? Since we got...unofficial approval. What do you need from me?"

"We have what we need, Anya." Scholar said gently. "Rest well. I should have news by the time you wake." He nodded to her and left the room.

"Is it wrong that I am nervous?" Anya asked Crado.

"After what happened last time?" Crado said as he leaned close and rubbed her cheek with his own. "No. Let's get you back to bed." He said as he started the chair off again, Raan'ita keeping pace.

"Raan'ita..." Anya felt herself fading.

"I am here, Anya." Raan'ita laid a gentle hand on her friend's arm. "It's all right. We will handle anything else that comes up. Go to sleep."

"Yes, Ma'am." Anya said with a smile as gentle darkness enfolded her.


	54. Chapter 54

**Sorry for the delay. New Years is fun for some and painful for others. Me? I work nights now. My feet HATE me.**

* * *

**An hour later**

"There." Portia said with a smile as she finished the problems that Lipa had given her. She waved her omni-tool. "All done. Check me?" She continued her pace on the treadmill. Lipa kept up easily on the neighboring treadmill. The young Prothean wore the same workout gear that Portia did, and no weapons.

Lipa's idea of learning was several fold. Physical training meshed with scholastic exercises with question and answer sessions mixed in. Portia had taken to the odd training regime like a fish to water. Her endurance wasn't so great -until all this her chief exercise had been typing on a keyboard- but she was improving. Oh, her parents hadn't allowed her to get fat. Diet and strictly controlled short exercise had kept her youthful body fit, but not strong. Lipa was determined to change that. Slowly and methodically, she was working to help Portia gain endurance. So they were fifteen minutes into their thirty minute run.

"Let's see..." The young Prothean said with a smile as the odd pair matched paces on the treadmills. She was very careful to keep two eyes on the young human., Portia had no sense about some things. She had rarely been hurt in her life, growing up on a space station surrounded by guards had not taught her much caution. She had never been let out without supervision. She made a humming noise. "Question six?" She asked slowly.

"I am not sure that _has_ an answer." Portia replied, somewhat concerned as they continued to run slowly and steadily. "It has to, doesn't it?" She asked, worried. "But I couldn't get it to solve."

"It does." Lipa admitted. "But it can be a bit convoluted. We will worry about the square of pi later." She ignored Portia's sigh of relief. "Did you think on the history question I posed for you?"

"Eh... Yes..." Portia said with a grimace. "I am not sure what to think to tell the truth. You asked me about the President Lincoln conspiracy theory from the North American War of 1861-1865. That Secretary of War Stanton had him killed to clear the way for Stanton to become president. I... don't know. Evidence shows that there _was_ a conspiracy but..." She shook her head. "By their very nature, conspiracies are supposed to be secret. The idea of keeping records of them kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"

"Depends on what the conspirators want to do." Lipa said easily. "If they feel the need to explain their actions, then yes, they will leave some kind of record. This seems to hold true across multiple species. The only race that it _doesn't_ seem to hold true for are the Salarians." Portia opened her mouth and then shut it. "Yes, Portia?" The young soldier asked.

"I was going to say something rude." Portia said, shamefaced. "I don't know any Salarians."

"Neither do I." Lipa admitted. She smiled. "Well... I don't see any Salarians here, but let's err on the side of caution, shall we?"

"Good idea." Portia said, stumbling a little but recovering. All four of Lipa's eyes narrowed and she nodded minutely. Portia gave a squeak as her treadmill slowed. "Hey!" She complained.

"You are _not_ going to get strong in a day, Portia." Lipa said with a nod. "It takes time, and the _last_ thing I -or anyone- want to do is hurt you." Portia looked at the Prothean and then, inexplicably, burst into tears as she stumbled off the treadmill. Portia was off her own and at the crying human's side in a heartbeat. "Portia? What?" She was careful when she gripped Portia steadying the girl. Now was _not_ the time for either of them to get lost in Lipa's enhanced memories. "Portia?"

"You...are so nice..." Portia sobbed. "I don't know what to do... or why..." She shook her head. "I... Lipa, I think... The Rachni said I might have flashbacks. I think that is what this is. I keep seeing a man in white. Then my parents, then the man in white again. Help!" She begged as she crumpled. Lipa caught her easily and held her close.

"Dang it." Lipa said softly. "Okay, hang on. I'll get you to C-Flat Viridian."

"You all are so nice..." Portia mused. She snuggled closer to Lipa as the Prothean lifted her easily and started from the room. "I want this crap _gone_."

"Tell me you are not better already." Lipa said gently a she walked to the door. The two Prothean sentries posted outside did not look surprised. Then again, they would have been monitoring. Unlike Lipa, both of them were armed and armored. The Protheans took their duty to Anya and her extended family _very_ seriously. "Has the queen been notified?" Lipa asked the guards who nodded. "Where?"

"Med bay one." The senior guard replied. The guards fell in behind her as she carried Portia's slowly relaxing form.

"Can you walk, Portia?" Lipa asked after a moment. "Less embarrassing than being carried in."

"I... think so..." Portia said slowly. Lipa stopped and set the human on her feet. "I still see... It..but.. I can focus..." She took several deep breaths and nodded, her face calming. "The meditation helps. Thank you."

"We needed it to control our anger." Lipa said sadly. "We were so... so angry. If Scholar and Javik hadn't managed to calm us... I shudder to think what we might have done. I am glad it helps."

"Let's go." Portia said after a moment. "I know C-Flat Viridian cannot fit through most of the station doors and if I know Mika, she has already warned everyone I am sick again." She said sourly.

"You are not sick." Lipa said sternly as she took Portia's and in her own. "You are hurt. You were abused, but that is over. _No one_ will abuse you again." Both sentries nodded as well. There was no give in the Prothean's voice, and no mercy either. Portia smiled a little at the Prothean's vehemence.

"You are scary." Portia admitted. "But right now, I don't mind. I could use some scary to scare away my bad stuff."

"Anytime." Lipa said gently as she looked the human up and down. "Come on." She held out her hand and Portia took it. "What 'It', Portia?" Lipa asked as she odd group started off again.

"Hmmm?" Portia asked, distracted.

"You said you saw 'It', Portia." Lipa said gently. "That is new. What did you see?"

"I am not sure." Portia said slowly. "It's a holo, an odd one. Not any that I know offhand. A... A command sequence, I think..." She paused as all three Protheans froze in place. "That's bad, isn't it?" She asked in a very small voice.

"Yes, Portia, that is bad." Lipa kept the girl turned towards her so Portia would not see the two pistols that the sentries had out. Their orders were clear. If Portia threatened Anya... Lipa shook her head minutely and the guns were hidden. "Come on, let get you some help. It's not far." Portia grimaced.

"Don't let me hurt you or my sisters." Portia demanded. "Promise me!"

"Portia, I cannot promise you that." Lipa protested. "Come on, C-Flat Viridian can... _Portia! No!_" She shouted as the girl darted to the side. The movement was so unexpected that all three Protheans were caught flat footed. The guard there had less than a second to realize that Portia was moving before she darted away, the pistol that he had been holding in the girl's grasp. "Portia!" everything stopped as Portia aimed the purloined weapon at her own skull! "Portia... No..." Lipa begged, not daring to move.

"I won't hurt you." Portia said, tears streaming. "They want me to. I can...feel them... inside my head. Stealing my thoughts... I..." She shook her head savagely, but when Lipa took a slow step forward, Portia backed up until she came flush to the wall of the corridor. "Stay back." The girl begged. Then everything seemed to stop as a soft sound came from nearby.

'Dance then, wherever you may be, I am the lord of the dance, said he...'

Kai stepped into the corridor from a door ahead. She still wore the same blue dress she had before. Her hands were empty and her face was serene, despite the tears that fell as she sang. She stepped forward, as if oblivious to the scene. But her eyes were open and her gaze landed on Portia who stiffened. She smiled sadly and finished the verse before speaking again.

"It's not you, Portia." Kai said gently. "You do not want to die. It's the programming. C-Flat Viridian said that you might have episodes but she had no idea they would be this bad. She wants to help. I want to help. Please let us?" The eldest sibling begged as she raised a slow hand and took another slow step.

"I just want it to end!" Portia snapped. "Let me die!"

"No." Kai's voice turned implacable. "Sister... You are not thinking clearly. If you _were_ and chose an end, I would not get in your way." Lipa started, but Kai did not pause in her slow advance. "But you are _not_. Portia... They hurt you. They wanted you in pain, in fear, to obey. We don't." Kai paused and shook her head. "Portia, we love you. Please don't leave us."

"Kai..." Portia seemed frozen in place. "I am a threat."

"I know, sis." Kai said sadly. "And you know what? I don't care!" She was well within reach of Portia now, but made no move. "Portia, please put the gun down. Don't let your birth parents win." She remained where she was as Portia's shaking hand came down from her head. "Please put the gun down, sis." Kai begged.

"You won't take it?" Portia asked, unsure.

"If I _do_, your guards will shoot me." Kai said with a nod. "Then the queen will have to spend time she _should_ spend on _you_ putting _me_ back together." Portia's eyes went to the guards who indeed, had weapons trained on Kai. One pistol and one rifle. "Just put it down, sis."

"I... I can't..." Portia exclaimed, her face twisting with effort. "Kai!" She exclaimed, horrified. "_I can't!_"

"Dang it!" Kai snapped, worried. "Portia, will you let Lipa disarm you?"

"I am trying to drop it!" Portia snapped. "My fingers won't open. Kai... _No!_" She screamed as the gun leveled at her sister. "_Someone stop me!_" She cried. "Lipa, _help!_" She screamed. A dark blur entered the scene and then everything seemed to stop as a gunshot sounded. The gun clattered to the floor as Portia stared at the unarmored Prothean who stood between her and her sister, blood starting to pool around the fingers that Lipa held to her torso. "No..." Portia begged, "Lipa! _No!_" She ignored the other two guards and Kai who seemed to be frozen as she rose to her feet, grabbing the now falling young Prothean. "No!" She cried.

"It's all right, Portia." Lipa's voice was soft and serene now. "For so long all I was, was hate. Rage. All I wanted was blood to avenge my Madre. I learned... I learned a better way..." She reached up a slow. Limp hand and caressed the shuddering girl's brow. "Not your fault, girl." Then she fell to her knees, dragging the smaller human with her.

"Medic!" Portia screamed, her keen overpowering. "Mika! Send help!" She cried as she held the dying Prothean.

"Medics are on the way." Mika's voice was stunned. "Portia... There isn't time. The bullet hit both of her hearts."

"No..." Portia said, her world shattering around her. "What have I done?" She demanded. She reached for the pistol at her feet but Kai kicked it toward the guards who hadn't moved. She laid Lipa's still form out and knelt beside it. "What have I done?" She repeated forlornly.

"Not you." Lipa's voice was soft as the mortally wounded Prothean slowly slipped away. She levered herself up a bit and latched hand on Portia's collar. "Promise me, Portia. Do _not_ let the evil ones who made you win. Do _not_ follow my path. Only death and destruction lie on that path, Portia. Find a better way. I... Love..." Then she sighed and was still. Portia stared at the limp form for a long moment before slowly reaching out and closing the four sightless eyes.

"I love you too, Lipa." Portia said calmly before she collapsed over the still form, sobbing.

For several minutes, there was silence in the corridor, then Portia rose and stepped back as Raan'ita and Scholar came running. One look and they know. Both had identical expression on their faces, but started to work anyway.

"Portia?" Kai's voice was soft as the girl stepped towards the guards. "Portia!" She snapped as the girl held out her wrists for binders.

"I am a threat, Kai." Portia said calmly. "If I can kill Lipa, I can kill _anyone_. You cannot take the chance. Please..." She begged the guards who stared at one another. "If I had been restrained, I wouldn't have been able to kill her!" She snapped.

"Not necessarily." The elder of the two guards said with a shake of his head. "It was the program, not you, child."

"I am child no more." Portia said softly. "I just shot my innocence." She bowed her head and did not move as Kai stepped forward and embraced her. Then her voice turned flat. "I don't care what it takes, Kai, C-Flat Viridian, I want this crap gone. I want it _out_ of my head. Now." She demanded.

"It doesn't work like that, Portia." Raan'ita rose from her fruitless attempts to revive, leaving Scholar to work. "Hurting is always easier than healing. It is not your fault."

"No." Portia said softly. "It is not my fault. But it _is_ my responsibility. My finger pulled the trigger. I could be a threat to everyone on this station. So... On that note... Mika!" She snapped.

"I am here, Portia." The gentle voice of the woman inhabiting the station's artificial intelligence system came.

"Mika, you must _ignore_ any commands given by me until and unless the medical professionals are _all_ in agreement that I am clean." Portia paused and then scowled. "_And_ corroborate any commands I give with Anya."

"Portia..." Mika's voice was super soft now. "You are hurting. It's okay."

"No, it's not." Portia snapped. "I am a threat. Kai..." She looked at her sister through tear streaked eyes. "Get me to C-Flat Viridian before I hurt anyone else..._please_?" She begged.

"Come on, sis." Kai said, steering her sister towards the door she had come from. "She will make you feel better."

"It won't go away." Portia said sadly, but allowed herself to be led. "What I did will never go away." She tensed as Kai led her into the room, but the Rachni queen that sat inside looked as forlorn as Portia felt.

"No it will not, Portia, sister of Anya." C-Flat Viridian said sadly through Kai. "But we will do what we can." The Rachni indicated a bed that had been set up nearby. "Lie down."

Portia needed no urging. She moved mechanically to the bed and lay down with her head toward the Rachni. Soothing numbness swept through her as C-Flat Viridian's pheromones worked to calm her. Kai leaned close to kiss Portia's brow as the girl shut her eyes.

"Rest well, sis." Kai said, taking her sister's hands in her own as something hard but gentle clasped her head.

"I will find a better way." Portia promised as soothing darkness took her in. But...

* * *

Suddenly Portia lay on another surface. Harsh white light surrounded her, and when she looked up, figures in white were there, moving around.

"You will be our instrument of vengeance, daughter." The voice of her father came from nearby. "If all else fails, you will destroy the station using the destruct codes provided. Cerberus will rise from the ashes, borne anew to defend humanity. To ensure we take our rightful places as overlords!"

"No!" Portia tried to scream but the tubes in her mouth stymied her as harsh mechanical devices lowered around her head. "Not again..." She whimpered.

"No!" Another voice, one she didn't know, sounded from nearby. "Not again!" The sound of gunfire was sharp in the room, but then, as quickly as it started, it ended. Then the voice was gentle. "Easy, girl, let's get you out of that mess." Something pulled the machinery away from her and then gentle hands were pulling tubes out of her. She gagged and retched, aware that the hands were rolling her onto her side, cleaning up the mess as soon as it happened.

"Who...?" Portia asked as soon as she could form coherent thought. She looked up into piercing green eyes and froze She KNEW that face. Every human knew that face. The N7 armor, the Avenger rifle, all that was also familiar. It was on almost every official extranet site since the war had ended. "_Shepard_?"

"Sort of." The woman who had been the first human Spectre smiled at Portia as she helped the girl sit up. "This isn't real, Portia. This is a representation of your mind. Of the horror that was done to you."

"But...aren't you... dead?" Portia flushed as she asked that, embarrassed.

"Yeah." Shepard said with a nod. "But I still have work to do, so I am still around. Sort of."

"That doesn't make any sense." Portia complained as the woman hugged her. "Hey!" She protested, squeezed against the hard armor.

"Sorry." The older human said contritely. "I have worn the armor for so long it feels like a second skin. But you have had a bad day."

"I shot my friend." Portia said softly. Tears starting to fall again. "I killed my friend. I killed Lipa!"

"It wasn't you." Shepard said gently. "But you won't take my word for it. So... maybe..." The older human's face took on a look of intense concentration and then she smiled. "Thought so. She was part of us. Hold tight." The Specter warned. Portia had a bare moment to grasp hold of the Spectre before the world fell away.

When Portia could see again, she was standing on an odd green square. She stared at it, unsure. Was it solid, or just energy. Then she stared at her hands, which were glowing FAR brighter than that normally did. She stared around, fear coming. But then she froze as a completely impossible voice sounded from nearby.

"Now, don't start _that_ again." Portia's eyes went VERY wide as another square materialized nearby and a familiar form appeared on it. Lipa was grinning. "Hello Portia."

"Lipa?" Portia felt faint, but managed to stay on her feet. "How? I... I killed you."

"It wasn't you." Lipa said with a sigh as the square she was on touched Portia's and she came close to sweep the girl into a hug. "And you know what? Things have changed, significantly, in the last ten years. I _may_ be able to come back if Scholar can save my body, since Obligatha saved my data patterns into long term storage. Thank you by the way..." She addressed the air gratefully.

"We are glad to save lives rather than take them." A soft and gentle female voice sounded from everywhere. Portia stiffened, but the voice was super soft. "Have no fear, Portia, sister of Anya. No harm will come to you and the controls in your mind are being eradicated."

"Too late for some." Portia said, hugging the Prothean. "I can't stay, can I?" She asked, in a tone far too wise for her years.

"Portia..." Lipa said kindly as she returned the embrace. "I wanted to stop you from killing your sister. I did. That probably would have destroyed you completely, which was likely your father's intention. But no, you have to go back."

"Figured." Portia said sadly as she hugged the Prothean tighter. "I _will_ find a better way. And anything I can do to help you come back, I will do." She swore.

"Talk to Scholar, he will be busy repairing my body or cloning me a new one. And as for finding a new way? I bet you will, you stubborn human." Lipa said with a smile as she let go and backed up. Was she fading or was Portia?

"One question..." Portia asked, on the edge of sleep.

"One." Lipa said with a grin.

"Was that _really_ Shepard?" Portia asked dubiously.

"Now _that_ would be telling." The voice of what had to be the Reaper was amused. "Sleep Portia. When you wake, you will be free." Portia smiled and did as instructed.


	55. Chapter 55

Anya knew, as soon as she woke, that something bad had happened. It was in the air, in the feel of everything around her. She was still coming to terms with the effects of synthesis. Her body was different, and the same at the same time. It felt the same, but she was different. She opened her eyes slowly and was unsurprised to find Jenni sitting beside her bed. Her little sister had been crying.

"What happened?" Anya asked softly.

"C-Flat Viridian didn't get all of Portia's programming on the first try." Jenni said with a bowed head. "Portia tried to kill herself." The air in the room seem to freeze around Anya.

"Please tell me she didn't succeed." Anya said, her heart plummeting.

"She didn't... But..." Jenni shook her head. "Kai stopped her, and the programming turned the weapon on Kai." Anya's eyes went wide but Jenni shook her head again. "Lipa got between them... And...The gun went off when Lipa tried to disarm Portia."

"Oh no..." Anya said, shaking her head as tears started to fall. "No. Lipa."

"There was nothing anyone could do, sis." Jenni said as she took Anya's hand. Her own tears were falling as Anya cried. "Scholar took the body, has been working on something. Raan'ita is disconsolate. Portia is still asleep and I _hope_ she is sane when she wakes. She loved Lipa."

"Lipa was..." Anya paused, what had she just felt? "What the...?" She said slowly.

"Anya?" Jenni asked, her omni-tool out and scanning as her worry for her sister came forth again. Instead of answering, Anya looked around, her face curious. Then, -inexplicably- she smiled. "Anya?" Jenni asked suspiciously.

"It's only been a couple of days for us since we rejoined the human race." Anya said softly. "We don't comprehend it all yet." She wasn't talking to Jennifer!

"Anya, you are not making any... _whoa!_" Jenni recoiled as a form appeared nearby. She actually fell out of her chair with a sharp cry as a recognizable form appeared in the room. The transparent Prothean wore a huge smile.

"Boo." Lipa said calmly.

"Lipa." In comparison, Anya's tone was flat. "That wasn't funny. Apologize. Now." Her tone was stern and the hologram winced.

"Yes, Madre. I beg pardon, healer Jennifer." The Prothean hologram said quickly. "My apologies. My sense of humor is...off at the best of times. Which these are not."

"You..." Jennifer rose from the floor where she had landed and shook her head as she examined the Prothean. "You are _not_ a ghost? Are you?"

"Ah... No..." Lipa replied, somewhat distracted. "I don't know a lot of human folklore. A ghost is a remnant of a person, yes? I am not a remnant of a person. I _am_ a person. Obligatha pulled the data that comprised my mind out of my body just before it's systems failed."

"That is not possible." Jennifer said sharply. "You are _not_ a machine."

"Come now, healer." Lipa said calmly. "We are all organic machines, now with synthetic additions. You of _all_ people know what memories are comprised of. Organic brains are computers. Are we more than our thoughts? With synthesis, we can access machinery. Is there any reason that machinery cannot access _us_ as well? Obligatha saved me. Well. I _think_ it was Obligatha. It was...odd. Portia was crying and then I was somewhere else." The hologram shrugged. "Currently I am residing in Obligatha. Scholar thinks he can repair the damage to my body, but it will take a couple of days. So... I am here, Madre." The Prothean suddenly looked _very_ young and lost. "I... I didn't want you to fret."

"Thank you, Lipa." Anya said with a smile. "Bad jokes aside, I am glad to see you. How is Portia?"

"Rocky." Lipa replied sadly. "The programming was intended to kill everyone if the station was captured. C-Flat Viridian seems to think you, Kai, Melissa and Jennifer here were primary targets, hence why Portia almost shot Kai."

"That is vicious." Jennifer shuddered as she sat again, not taking her eyes off the hologram. "Was it Karinlina or Pedro?"

"She saw your father in her mind." Lipa said with a scowl worthy of a Varren. "But it does seem extreme."

"That was my birth father." Jennifer said with a snarl. "Anything to further his cause." She shook herself. "How do you feel, Anya?"

"Better." Anya said with a smile. Her hand came up and touched her skull, feeling the bandages there. "Should I go sit with Portia?"

"Your scans are all in the green." Jennifer said after a moment. "There is no medical reason you can't. But..." She shook her head. "Anya... The scans are clear." She said slowly.

"I can't use biotics again." Anya said with a nod. "I know."

"We are looking into options." Jennifer said hastily. "I mean, with Scholar, C-Flat Viridian, even Doctor Lawson and so many others, there has to be _some_ way..." She broke off as Anya reached over and patted her hand.

"Jennifer." Anya said slowly. "My biotics defined me, for so long. But..." She shrugged a little. "I never _liked_ being a living weapon. I was pretty much a human gun, point me at a target and I killed it. I wanted to serve, to protect others. I didn't know I was a biotic until I joined the Alliance. I got good at killing, but I never enjoyed it." She sighed. "Probably a good thing."

"Probably." Lipa said softly. "I know about hating, Madre. I am very glad you avoided that."

"Oh, I hated." Anya contradicted the holographic Prothean. "Cerberus among others. But if I cannot teach biotic students, we will need to find someone who can. Kai can't."

"No." Jennifer agreed.

"I don't understand." Lipa said with a puzzled look. "What is the problem with your eldest sister?"

"She was identified as the assassin who killed an Alliance Admiral named Kordil." Anya said slowly. "There was DNA left on site. He _was_ a piece of work, and the Alliance was investigating him. For ties to Cerberus among other things. Then he was found dead in his quarters. Killed by a sword." Lipa hissed, but then looked thoughtful.

"We saw something about that. Wasn't there a child involved?" Lipa asked dubiously. "We did have some extranet access."

"Yes." Anya's face turned hard. "The DNA residue was found on the sole witness. An eight year old human boy who had been..." She swallowed. "If 'I' had found the Admiral doing that to a little boy I would have killed him myself. The little boy said that a ghost came, killed the man hurting him and then freed him from his bonds and comforted him." Jennifer nodded soberly. "Ghost is another name for Phantom."

"_Oh_." All four of Lipa's holographic eyes went wide at that. "I...see..."

"Yeah." Anya said sourly. "Specter Williams asked me about Kai while I was still on the Wings of Xenobia, explained the situation. From what she thought, Kai went to talk to the admiral on behalf of Cerberus and found the man..." She swallowed. "My elder sister has her faults, but she also has limits. _That_..." Anya grimaced.

"She killed him." Jennifer agreed. "She got in a _lot_ of hot water with mom and dad for that, let me tell you. Kordil had been one of their highest placed operatives. I didn't know all the details until later. I couldn't communicate much with HQ." She shook her head. "She got in even more when it as found out she left DNA evidence, skin cells, on the boy. She took her gloves and helmet off to comfort him. That mission messed Kai up, Anya. She didn't go into the field again until she went after you. I had to play the insane evil sister... I could see her hurting and I couldn't help her..." Jennifer slumped. Anya patted her hand again.

"Not your fault, Jennifer." Anya said with a smile. "Not even Kai's. Well..." She shook herself. "I need the bathroom and then I want to check up on Portia and Kai. Lipa...?" She asked the holographic Prothean who smiled.

"I will be around." The holo said before vanishing. Jennifer stared where the hologram had been and shook her head.

"Strange things happen around our family, Anya..." The healer complained. "But _that_ is just too weird for words."

"You expect me to disagree?" Anya asked sourly as she rose for the bed and walked to the small bathroom. Then she paused and spoke evenly to the air. "If anyone or any _thing_ is watching, you are welcome to the show of me showering. If I find out, I will hurt you. You are _not_ too old for me to spank, Lipa." Anya said with a scowl. A gulp came from nowhere and a barely sensed presence vanished. Anya smiled at Jenni's expression. "She always was curious. _Too_ curious in some cases."

"I..." Jennifer shook her head. "I don't want to know."

"Probably for the best." Anya said with a smile then paused. "Um... Jennifer, _can_ I take a shower?"

"Let me see." Jennifer came close and examined the bandage on Anya's skull with a frown. "Any pain?" She asked as she examined the area with her fingers.

"No." Anya said softly. "I guess my regeneration is working overtime."

"Don't tax it too far, Anya." Jennifer warned as she stepped aback. "You are _not_ that Grizzly Bear guy from the comics."

"Jennifer!" Anya snapped, annoyed. "That was Wolverine!"

"Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, same difference!" Jennifer snapped right back and then both sister looked at each other and laughed. "You always did like odd things, Anya."

"Hey, I can sympathize with someone having anger management issues. At least I don't turn green." Anya said with a grin as she started to get ready to shower. Then she paused, her face shocked. "Jennifer? In all the excitement...I forgot about you." Her tone was abject.

"Oh Anya." Jennifer said with a wide smile as she hugged her sister. "You were right. Illia is a marvel. I don't know where this will go. Neither does she. But she _is_ a great person and a great being to help _me_ heal a bit. My tunes have been soothed, according to C-Flat Viridian." Anya smiled at that.

"I am glad." Anya said, returning the embrace. "Now get out. _You_ may enjoy the company of females, I most certainly do _not_."

"Asari are monogendered." Jenni protested, then ducked and fled as Anya threw a towel at her. "Meanie!" She called and then paused as the door to the room hissed open and Crado walked in. He paused in taking in the scene. Jenni was mock cowering away from Anya who had her tunic off. He sighed.

"I can't take you _anywhere_." Crado asked in a long suffering tone that was spoiled by the grin on his face. "Can I, Anya?"

"Hi, Crado." Anya said with aplomb. "Coming to check up on me?"

"_Someone_..." Crado looked smug. "I have no idea who... Told me that you were awake."

"I see Lipa is getting around." Anya said sourly as her husband came up to her and took her hands in his. He held her carefully. "I am not going to break, Crado." Anya said with a sigh. "Jenni and the others have done what they can. As much as they can." Her face fell as she looked her husband in the eye. "I hope you can handle me being mopey on occasion."

"I can. I regained you and nearly lost you half a dozen times since, Anya." Crado said quietly, pulling her close and holding her gently. "I am not leaving your side. Not now, not ever."

"Oh." Anya said, her gaze and tone turning coy. "You just want your wicked way with me." She said with a grin.

"Well... Yeah." Crado said with a matching smile. "Can you blame me?" he asked, running his three clawed hand down the side of her head. She stifled a groan of pleasure. "What as this about a shower?" He asked with a lecherous grin.

"Let me get out of the room, first!" Jenni said with a sigh. "You two... I swear... Bunny rabbits..." She muttered under her breath as she left.

"Bunny rabbits?" Crado asked, confused as the door hissed shut behind Jennier.

"Very few mammals on Earth breed as fast as rabbits." Anya said with a smile as she returned the favor he had done her. Then she paused. "Did Scholar...um..." She broke off, embarrassed.

"Yes." Crado said with a smile. "It was uncomfortable, but worth it. He says it will be a day or so before we know for sure. Anya..." He made a noise of contentment as she scratched _just_ the right spot behind his fringe. "Oh..."

"Shower...I think..." Anya purred. "We will need to be a little careful, but I can think of all kinds of..." She broke off as Crado kissed her. After a moment, they came up for air. "Yeah..." She said slowly. "Shower..." She shook her head and started for the bathroom, her husband barely a step behind her. Both were dropping clothes as they went.

**An hour later**

Anya and Crado both wore expressions of contentment as they entered what had been deemed the Assembly Hall of the facility. Anya paused and stared, amazed at the changes. Before, it had been a large hangar, intended for the storage and maintenance of Atlas mechs. It had been filled with pallets of spare parts, dormant mechs and work areas. Now it bustled with activity of a different sort. Beings of various races moved to and fro with purpose. Anya looked around. Half of the area had already been set up as a auditorium of sorts, with chairs and a slightly raised podium. The rest of the room was apparently being used as a mess hall for the horde of beings in workers garb who were milling about. Anya saw the bulk of C Flat Viridian to one side and started for there, only to pause as a voice came to her.

"Anya." Raan'ita rose from where she had been sitting by the door, a wide grin on her face. "I see you two got reacquainted fast." Anya smiled and hugged Crado who smiled as well at the Quarian's knowing tone.

"Yeah." Anya replied evenly. "What _is_ all this...?" Anya asked as she took in the scene.

"Assembly Hall." Raan'ita said with a smile that faded. "Half cafeteria, half auditorium. We hope you don't mind if we started without you."

"I have barely had the chance to catch my breath, Raan'ita." Anya said with a grin to reassure her friend. "I checked on Portia, she is still asleep. Did Scholar tell you...?" Raan'ita nodded and Anya smiled. "Good."

"It's a different world." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Ten years ago, if someone got shot that was usually the end of it. And them, more often than not." She said sadly. "Now?" She shrugged. "I wonder if medics like me will be put out of business."

"Not going to happen." Anya reassured her. Crado nodded agreement. "Being transferred into computer storage is NOT going to replace being treated for injuries. And it is... odd. Very odd." Anya shuddered. "I don't MIND so much. It saved my life." She admitted. "But the memory still gives me goosebumps."

"Not every injury will require such drastic measures." Crado said in concurrence. "Doctors won't be out of work for a long, long time. If ever." The Turian commando said with a grin. "We can hope not to need you but so much, doc."

"Agreed." Raan'ita said with a sour grin. "We have had some minor injuries. Lots of people moving in close proximity. But everyone is in good spirits."

"Do we have the facility mapped?" Anya asked softly. The 'official' Cerberus maps of the facility had been incomplete. Many sections had either been sealed off, unused or kept secret from the rank and file minions. "And how _many_ people...?" She broke off as a large and easily recognizable form approached. "Spolik?" She asked, incredulous. The Elcor spoke in the usual slow tone of it's race.

"Pleased: It is good to see you again, Captain Anya Solinus." The Elcor replied. Anya smiled, making sure her teeth were covered. Elcor were odd by human standards. But then again, if _humans_ had evolved on such a high gravity world, they might have been engineered the same way. "Anxious request: Are you all right?"

"I am coping, Spolik." Anya said with a nod. "May I?" She held out a hand and the Elcor nodded slowly and ponderously.

"Understanding: You have earned the right." The Elcor said and did not move as Anya laid a hand on what would have been a shoulder on a human. She left it there for a bare minute and then withdrew, aware that Elcor found physical contact to be daunting. That too was understandable, since any impact on the world they had evolved on could potentially be lethal. What the Elcor had just done was a massive show of trust. One Anya appreciated. "Question: You are confused?"

"This is..." Anya shook her head. "This is very fast. It's only been what? Two days?"

"Explanation:..." The Elcor said. "Many owe you their lives." He paused as Anya made a face. "Statement: You still disagree." Somehow, his monotone conveyed disapproval.

"Not you too." Anya said with a sigh. "Spolik, it was my _job_." Anya protested. "it was a hard job, yes. But it was my _job_. I did what I had to do, no more, no less. Anyone else would have done as much."

"Stern: Anyone did not save my herd from extinction." Spolik said as sharply as an Elcor could. "Continuation: Anyone did not save my own life when my weapons had been disabled." Anya shuddered in memory. Elcor warriors were slow and ponderous, but carried extreme amounts of firepower due to their size and strength. She had seen Elcor warriors hefting chainguns and rocket launchers the way a human might carry a pistol. She had encountered Spolik while the Elcor had been trying to save his mate and child from a Reaper attack on Dekuuna. He had been hurt, but defiant as the Brutes had closed in. Anya and her team had swept in and taken the wounded Elcor and his family to safety. It had taken some doing, as even a small Elcor could weight half a ton or so. "Compassionate: You are a hero, Captain Anya Solinus. Accept that others deem you such even if you do not."

"I should know better than to argue with you." Anya said with a sigh. She shook her head. "So... The facility?"

"Confident: This facility has been mapped and all secret areas have been revealed." The Elcor paused and then spoke again. "Disgusted: Cerberus has not changed."

"Not enough." Anya agreed. "So they called you in for the revamp?" Spolik had been an engineer by trade, and only a reluctant soldier. But an efficient one.

"Agreement: Yes." Spolik replied. "Statement: Many renovations will be required. This one is pleased to see you again, Captain." Anya paused as a horrible thought occurred to her.

"Wait a sec... Who is paying for this?" Anya asked slowly. "This is _not_ going to be cheap..."

"Joking:..." Spolik replied. "...who do you think?"

"Anya!" A deep voice sounded from nearby. Anya gulped as the hiss of a ventilator sounded followed by exuberance. "My own dear sweet angel of mercy!" Anya stiffened as everything around her came to a halt as a volus stepped out of the crowd. She could swear she heard Spolik laughing silently as the Elcor moved aside.

"Hello Tualo..."


	56. Chapter 56

"Was that _your_ idea?" Anya asked Crado after she had finally managed to disengage herself from the overly friendly volus.

Not that Tualo was discourteous, or even over the top, but he DID seem very happy to see her. He even apologized for the shower incident on the ship during the war. But then he started talking and Anya had been hard pressed to keep up. It was difficult, seeing him this way. She had seen him as an angry -furious actually- and somewhat odd demolitions expert. Seeing him as a confident and capable multi trillionaire was...off putting. She was glad for him, mind you. But it still left her feeling odd.

"No." Crado admitted. "I think it was funny, mind you."

"Well, _I_ think my husband needs some discipline." Anya said quietly as the pair made their way through the throng. Many people nodded to them, but few stopped what they were doing. Anya was glad. She had been through so much it was calm she desired now more than anything. Everyone seemed to understand that. Beyond a few hearty well wishes, most of the crowd left her be. She paused as a thought occurred. Tualo had excused himself before she got too tired of him, and how odd was that? She could feel their concern through the odd link that she now shared with the rest if the sentients in the galaxy. She paused and looked at Crado. "I guess I should say something to everyone?"

"Only if you want to." The turian said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "You da boss." He said in a reasonably good mimicry of an old Earth movie character.

"I have no idea what to say." Anya said softly. She stumbled a bit and Crado caught her easily. Without warning, Raan'ita was at their side. "Doc... I..."

"You are tired, Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "You _just_ had major surgery. Even with all of our advances in tech, it _will_ take time for you to recover. Come on, girl. Back to bed."

"I..." Anya shook her head, stubbornly. "I need to thank everyone..."

"What have you _been_ doing, Anya?" Crado asked with a smile as he steered her towards the door. More than one anxious glance came their way, but Anya smiled and waved and the people went back to what they were doing. "They understand. They do. Everyone has been briefed on what happened to you."

"I..." Anya shook her head slowly as she allowed herself to be led. "All my life, it's been me running from one crisis to another. Fights with my family, running away, serving the Alliance..." She paused and glowered as the door hissed open and a wheeled chair sat there. "No, I am going to walk..."

"You are _going_ to sit down, Anya." Raan'ita's soft words held command. "Either voluntarily or not." She brandished a hypo and Anya sighed. Arguing with Raan'ita never worked.

"Bunch of freaking tyrants..." Anya complained as she sat.

"That we are." Raan'ita said with a smile as her omni-tool whirred. "_Especially_ with those we love." Tenderness sang in her tone.

"Raan'ita... I..." Anya stared at the healer and then she was crying. "I..."

"Oh Anya." Raan'ita said gently, her hand coming down to brush Anya's cheek. "It's all right. It will be all right. Just listen to us, please?" Anya slumped but then nodded. "Let's get you back to bed."

The next few minutes were a blur for Anya as Crado wheeled her through the corridors. Then someone lifted her from the chair and deposited her on the bed. She roused when someone pulled covered over her.

"Wait... Portia... I..." Anya protested sleepily.

"I will sit with her." Raan'ita said softly. "Sleep Anya. You too, Crado. You both will feel better with some rest." A heavy mass settled beside Anya and she snuggled close to the large form of her husband. "But _no_ hanky panky..."

"Fracking tyrant." Anya said fuzzily. But whatever else she was going to say was stolen by comforting blackness as it swept her under.

* * *

Raan'ita Vas Merciful Flight sighed as she stepped out of Anya's room. "Mika?"

"I am here, Doctor." The voice of the woman trapped in the computer systems of the station came back quickly. "What do you need?"

"You can call me Raan'ita, Mika." The quarian said with a grin. "I am not formal most of the time."

"I..." The woman sounded off put for a moment. "I feel...wrong doing that, doctor. Courtesy is part of who and what I am. Part is my upbringing. Part was survival when I worked for Anya's family."

"Why _did_ you work for Anya's family?" Raan'ita asked curiously as she started for a nearby door. "Everything I have heard about them said they were creeps."

"They were, but... Ah well. Excellent pay and benefits." Mika said after a moment. "I grew up in an orphanage on the wrong side of Tokyo. I learned a lot of things, some good, some bad, in that orphanage." Raan'ita paused, horrified, but Mika hastened to continue. "I found my way out of there. I learned to garden. To make beautiful things grow. My skills were in demand and when Mr. Wilson-Fuentes offered me a place, well..." She made a noise of regret. "I was young, but to tell the truth? My prospects were slim. I jumped at the chance and I probably wouldn't have made a different choice today."

"I have heard the slums on Earth were bad." Raan'ita said with a sigh as she stopped at the door of Portia's room. "But you survived."

"Anya and I have that in common, yes." Mika said with a sigh. "I was always drawn to that girl. She was so... So..." Mika paused and then laughed softly. "If she had been Japanese, she would have been Samurai. Always thinking of others, always duty first."

""I wonder why." Raan'ita said with a knowing smile. Young children tended to imprint on others. If Anya had learned duty from this woman... then... She shook herself. "Is Portia awake?"

"No." Mika said after a moment, but then her voice turned sharp. "Doctor! An unauthorized being is in the room!" Raan'ita did not hesitate.

"Call Jennifer and Kai!" Raan'ita snapped as she reached to her side and her Paladin pistol almost leapt into her hand. She preferred to heal, but she also walked in dark places on occasion. So she kept in practice. She flattened herself against the will, keyed the door and leapt into the room, ready for anything. "Get away from her!" She snapped to the shadowed form that loomed over Portia's bed.

"She was restless." A soft voice came from the form that turned to face the doctor. It was apparently unarmed. It was a salarian, but wore an odd cloak... The voice spoke again. "A few gentle words and she sleeps peacefully again."

"Back." Raan'ita snapped, her pistol never wavering. "Away."

"I am not a threat, Doctor Raan'ita Vas Merciful Flight." The salarian said as... Raan'ita inhaled sharply as the form reached up and undid **her** cowl. A Dalatross? _Here_? Alone? Suddenly Raan'ita felt fear. Salarian Dalatross _never_ went anywhere alone. The Quarian's eyes flicked from side to side but the salarian shook her head. "I am alone."

"Yeah right." Raan'ita snapped. "Since when do Dalatross do assassinations?"

"We generally don't." The female salarian said calmly. "We _can_. We are trained. But..." She sighed. "My name is Norilossa." At that Raan'ita's eyes narrowed and the Salarian nodded. "The tech you knew as Norilo was my offspring." Raan'ita remembered. That idiot salarian had actually tried ryncol after an incident with some krogan and had been in sickbay for two days as a result.

"So... why are you here?" Raan'ita asked. "Your people are _not_ welcome."

"After what Linron tried... Trying to get Shepard to destroy the krogan, trying to get the human to commit genocide for her..." Norilossa said sadly. "Few of my people blame the galaxy for shunning us. I am here on my own. As a peace offering. And in memory of my child."

"Or a preemptive strike." Raan'ita said inhaling. The salarian did not react, but Raan'ita knew. Salarians believed that the best way to win a fight was by starting it before the opposition was ready. Things like declarations of war and strictly held treaties were for others.

"No." Norilossa said sadly. "I faked the credentials that got me on the ship coming here. None of the other occupants knew I was female. It seems one salarian looks..." She broke off and grunted as a form suddenly appeared behind her, grabbed her arm and shoved her away from the bed, a weapon appearing. The dalatross fell to her knees and didn't move.

"Who the-?" Raan'iat paused and then goggled. "Drolis?" Another salarian, but this one she knew.

"In the flesh, doc." The newly come salarian had a vicious looking pistol in hand. A Blood Pack Executioner pistol, it had been called a hand held sniper rifle. Then again, he _had_ been in the Blood Pack. Krogan and vorcha generally did not like salarians, but Drolis had earned his place by being vicious and nasty enough to survive even in such a cut throat -literally- environment. And during the Reaper war? Who cared where anyone came from if they could fight. "Thought there was a security breach. I was shadowing her, but lost her. I don't think she had time to dose the kid with anything."

"I didn't..." Norilossa protested but broke off with a cry as Drolis kicked her hard.

"Shut up." He said sharply. "I trust you about as far as I could toss this station. Aria was worried one of you dalatrosses would try something." Raan'ita looked at him and he shrugged. "Yeah I work for Aria now. What can I say? The benefits are better with Aria than the Blood Pack." He sighed. "Besides, most of the Blood Pack is disbanded these days anyway. All the krogan went home to have kids. Most vorcha suck as leaders." He said sourly. "Check the kid, doc. I got this. Go ahead, move lady. I love to play with my toys."

Raan'ita shuddered a bit. Drolis had been one of the team snipers. He defined cold blooded. He never got angry, just more vicious. He had never said _what_ he had been doing on Tuchanka or why when the team had found him half dead from an infected husk bite. Obviously something for the Blood Pack, and knowing him, something that resulted in lethal consequences for someone. It hadn't mattered during the war but now? Raan'ita did _not_ want to turn her back on him. But she didn't point her gun at him either. She knew better.

"Doc." Drolis' voice was soft now. "When I heard about Anya, I asked Aria if I could come. She said 'yes'. Dunno why. Didn't ask."

"Drolis?" A new voice asked as two armored formed entered the room. "You _crazy_ salarian? What are _you_ doing here?" Both humans wore recognizable armor, but with the Cerberus insignia rubbed off. Just as Raan'ita remembered them. They had broken with Cerberus and Raan'ita had taken some time to trust them. Then they had died, but not.

"Chris? Vincent?" Drolis asked, incredulous. Then he shook his head. "You call _me_ crazy, you silly human. I just shoot people, you do unnatural things to them with your minds. Aria sent me. Glad I came." He sighed. "We had an uninvited guest." He kicked the dalatross again.

"And who invited the Blood Pack?" Chris asked sourly, moving to bracket the Dalatross who wisely remained where she was. Everything stopped as Portia groaned.

"Portia?" Raan'ita moved to the bedside and her omni-tool whirred, checking the girl for injuries, toxins, anything the salarian dalatross might have done. The quarian looked, but the male salarian had the female one in some kind of hold that kept her immobile and silent. Raan'ita jerked her head at the door and Drolis nodded. The two armored forms moved with him, escorting the dalatross from the room. "Portia?" She prompted again.

"Doctor Raani'ta?" Portia asked in a dazed voice. "I.." Suddenly she screamed as she came fully awake, memory flooding in. "_Lipa! No!_" Raan'ita grabbed her as the girl started to cry.

"Easy, Portia... Easy..." Raan'ita crooned as she held the sobbing girl to her chest.

"I killed Lipa!" Portia said through her tears as she hugged Raan'ita. "I..."

"You killed my body, Portia." Raan'ita did not jump -_this_ time- as a holographic Prothean appeared in the middle of the room. Lipa's voice was soft and gentle. "But I am not gone."

"Obligatha saved you." Portia said, calming. "I... I am sorry, Lipa. I didn't..."

"It wasn't you, girl." Lipa said gently but then her voice turned stern. "But you are behind on your homework." Raan'ita looked at the hologram and Lipa shrugged. "Better than moping."

"That it is." Raan'ita said with a smile. "Let me finish this..." She swept her omni-tool over Portia and nodded. The girl was clean. "There, all done."

"Was there someone else here?" Portia asked slowly. "I woke up, sort of. I was scared and... Someone sang to me. It was... a woman's voice. She was sad, but kind."

"There was." Lipa said with a scowl. "An uninvited guest apparently snuck into your room. We have no idea why."

"So..." Portia shook her head. "A spy? Not an assassin or I would be dead, wouldn't I?" The girl's voice wasn't fearful though, more curious.

"A salarian dalatross." Raan'ita confirmed.

"_What?_" Portia asked sharply. "I thought the only reason that daltrosses leave Sur'kesh is..." She blinked. "High level diplomacy, right?" She stared from Lipa's now frowning form to Raan'ita who was also frowning. "You don't think...?"

"Lipa...?" Raan'ita said slowly.

"I will make sure they don't kill her." Lipa said with a nod and vanished.

"_That_ is weird." Portia complained. "So a dalatross snuck into my room and _sang_ to me?"

"If anything she says can be trusted, one of her offspring served with the team Anya and I did during the war." Raan'ita said with a nod. "He...didn't make it."

"Oh." Portia said with a grimace. "I don't know much about salarians, but I _do_ know they lie a lot."

"True." Raan'ita said and then nodded. "We can worry about that later. How do you feel?"

"Different." Portia said with a nod. "The image that was appearing in my head is gone. And I don't hear any voices. Am I..." She broke off and licked her lips. "Did C-Flat Viridian get it all?"

"She did." Raan'ita said with a smile. "She was worried she might have done damage to the rest of your brain, but there seems to be no impairment." Portia smiled and then squirmed a bit. "Need the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Portia admitted sheepishly.

"Okay." Raan'ita rose from the bed and held Portia as the girl tried to get up too fast and nearly fell. "Easy there, girl. Not too fast."

"I want to get stronger." Portia said slowly as she staggered to the bathroom. She paused at the door, but Raan'ita smiled and entered with her.

"I promised Anya I wouldn't leave your side." Raan'ita said with a smile. "You can have a shower or bath as well." She turned her back while Portia moved to the toilet.

"You all keep pampering me and I will grow soft and flabby again." Portia said with a mock glower as she took care of business.

"Why do I doubt that?" Raan'ita asked with a lilt as she scrutinized the reflection in the mirror. Portia was making a face at her and Raan'ita sighed. "Don't make me punish you, young lady." Portia sighed and then nodded.

"How is Anya?" Portia asked when she was done. "I assume since she is not here, she is asleep?"

"Don't assume, Portia." Raan'ita said with a smile to take the sting out of her words. "It makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'. But yes, she is asleep. She wore herself out, silly girl. Much like another." She mock glowered at Portia who smiled.

"I was thinking..." Portia said slowly when she had washed her hands and face. "I want to learn, but... I also want to help."

"Okay." Raan'ita said slowly. "We might be able to find something for you to do."

"I had an idea..."

**That night**

"You have _got_ to be kidding..." Anya said slowly as she took in the scene in front of her. Her expression was priceless. The small room was packed with seated beings, all staring at the large screen. It had apparently been a briefing room, but now it was a movie theatre.

"Shhh!" Portia said under her breath as the packed room cheered. "We are about to start number five. Come on, sit down."

"Portia..." Anya said slowly, but sighed when Crado, Raani'ta _and_ all the closest beings of various races all looked at her. "I am not really the movie type, Portia..." She sat in the only empty chair next to her sister/daughter. "But this one I like."

"I thought,..." Portia shook her head. "I didn't think soldiers would appreciate such a movie, but they insisted."

"Its space opera, Portia." Anya said as the opening fanfare sounded. "Not real life. And it _is_ a good movie. Number five, you say?"

"Yep." Portia smiled. "We are going to run them all."

"Even the final three?" Anya asked with distaste.

"We will see." Portia said with a grin. "Shh.. here we go!" Anya sighed and shook her head, but smiled. Everyone was rapt as a recognizable intro filled the screen.

'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'

A cheer went around the room and Anya joined it as the text crawl for 'Star Wars, Episode V, the Empire Strikes Back' began to scroll.

_Of all the things she could have picked... why Star Wars?_ Anya said to herself and then smiled and enjoyed the movie.

* * *

**Just a note to keep me out of the shark pit (Lucasarts lawyers have NO sense of humor). Star Wars is registered to Lucasfilm, created by George Lucas and is in no way my own work.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Sorry for the delay. Job hunting, working, all that. Blegh... Real life has to come first, unfortunately.**

* * *

"Well... Well... Well..." Anya said softly as she entered the small room. "Dalatross Norilossa. Long time."

The salarian female nodded to her from her seat, but did not rise. The _two_ krogan who followed her in and stood by the door were a pointed hint that not making threatening moves would be good. Neither were happy. And Drolis was...around. Somewhere. The dalatross still wore the same garments she had worn before, when Raan'ita had caught her in Portia's room and she looked tired. She sat stiffly in a chair that one of three pieces of furniture in the room. A table and another chair finished out the decoration. Her hands were manacled and she had them laying on the table.

"I did not come to fight." Norilossa said in a mild tone. She shook her head. "Truth be told, I don't know why I came. I knew your...friends would react as they did." She reached up with both hands and touched her cheek where a bruise shone. "And I don't blame them." Anya's eyes narrowed.

"Who hit you?" The human demanded with a snarl. She turned to the krogan, who both looked at her, confused. "You didn't. You two were outside. You wouldn't have been able to control yourselves." They shrugged and nodded. "So if it wasn't _you_ two..." She broke off and then groaned. "Drolis... Show yourself." She snapped. A form shimmered into being nearby, the salarian scoundrel looked...worried.

"Ah... Boss... I..." The salarian started, only to freeze as Anya's eyes focused on him. He stiffened to a reasonable mimicry of attention and nodded. "No excuse, Ma'am."

"I am going to put it down to simple ignorance." Anya said in a mild tone that fooled no one. "Reapers never took prisoners and besides that mess we went into on Elysium, no one _tried_ to take Reaper minions prisoner. Intact ones, anyway." Both the krogan _and_ Drolis shuddered in horrific memory. "But I _do_ have a few rules, Drolis. And you broke one." Anya said softly, her tone turning silky. Drolis actually looked scared. The dalatross looked from one to the other and her face was confused.

"Is this what humans call 'good cop, bad cop'?" The dalatross asked as Drolis froze in place. "It doesn't make sense..." She paused as Anya shook her head. "What then?"

"When we are done talking..." Anya said in a somewhat kinder tone. "...I will see you on a ship for Sur'kesh. _After_ your injuries have been treated. I know Drolis." Anya said with a snarl as she looked back at the frozen thug. "That is not the only place he hit you." It wasn't a question.

"Boss... I..." Drolis shook his head but froze again as Anya actually snarled at him. The sound might have backed off a thresher maw. A sane one anyway. "Anya... I..."

"Hush." Anya snapped. "And do not even _think_ about vanishing." She cautioned him. "Even without biotics, I can _still_ kick your butt." Drolis turned an interesting shade of green as both krogan snickered. "We will talk when I am done talking to Norilossa. Don't go anywhere." Anya said as she sat.

"Yes, Ma'am." Drolis said softly as he moved to one wall and leaned against it.

"You knew when you got caught, you would get hurt, after what Linron tried. And... you knew you would get caught." Anya said in a conversational tone. "So why?"

"I..." The salarian female sighed and slumped in the chair. "I don't know. It seemed like a good thing to do. I wanted to see you. To talk to you. You were...kind to me. Even after the revelations of what Linron did." She shook her head. "I didn't know what to think."

"You lost one of your children." Anya said mildly. "Salarians may not handle children the same way the rest of us do, but it had to hurt."

"It did." Norilossa admitted. "It still does. I remember him. He was always so brave. Always hell bent on doing the right thing, no matter the cost. And _so_ lacking in common sense." She said with a fond, sad sigh.

"Yes, he was." Anya mused. "But when provided the facts, he could and did change his mind. But I would have thought you would have worked through it by now. Salarians think faster than humans after all. You would go through the stages of grief faster." Norilossa turned her head away and did not speak. "Norilossa, how old are you?" Anya asked softly, her tone concerned.

"I am forty standard years old." The salarian female replied in a monotone. Anya froze in place. The salarian nodded, not looking at Anya. "Yeah."

"I am sorry." Anya said slowly as the krogan and even Drolis looked stunned. Salarians only _lived_ for forty years normally. With synthesis, all the races seemed to have entered a new era, where people lived longer. But no one had asked the salarians. "Is it going to be soon?"

"One way or another." Norilassa said under her breath and Anya perked up.

"What?" The human demanded. Norilossa did not look at her and Anya sighed. "Norilossa... Please... What?"

"My family are all dead." Norilossa said in a very quiet tone. "I came... I think... to speak to you. To remember my son. The good and the bad, before I...pass on." Anya's face went still.

"How can your whole family be dead?" Anya asked in the sudden silence. "You had several sisters, their families..."

"I don't know exactly what happened." Norilossa said sadly. "They wouldn't tell me what happened. I was away on business. When I got back, there were security forces everywhere. They were...cleaning up..."

"Cleaning...?" Anya asked in horror. The salarian female took a deep breath and nodded.

"It was one of the Yahg." Norilossa said with a sigh. "One of the ones who escaped when Cerberus attacked the facility that..." She broke off, overcome.

"That Shepard went to." Anya finished when the salarian broke off. "The one where Eve was."

"Yes." Norilossa swallowed. "The STG had taken...subjects. They escaped in the confusion. For ten years, they have prowled Sur'kesh. They kill any they encounter. I think... I think my family's security may have been lax. Or.. Something... I don't _know_." She said with a grimace. "I just don't know. What little I _do_ know, I hacked from the security databases." Anya looked at her and now the _salarian_ snarled. "They wouldn't tell me _anything_. I had to know. I had to...to see... What happened... I..." She broke off. "_Damn_ my memory. I had to see. I had to look..." She took a deep breath and calmed. "I still see them. I see them all, where they fell. My sisters, their consorts, the smashed eggs... I think part of me was hoping your people _would_ kill me. Then I wouldn't see them anymore." Anya looked at Drolis. He nodded and moved to the door, which opened for him. Norilossa sighed. "You can't believe anything I say, but... They are all dead, Anya. All but me."

"We are _going_ to corroborate this, Norilossa." Anya said in a much kinder voice. "But for now, you are welcome to stay."

"What?" The dalatross asked sharply. "No... I..."

"Norilossa..." Anya said, her tone soft and gentle. "If I shove you onto a ship in this frame of mind..." She scowled. "You will insult a krogan or something equally dumb." Both krogan looked at her and then looked at the now wilting female salarian. "I won't let you do that to _my_ people, Norilossa. Suicide by krogan is not nice to the krogan. Out." She commanded and jerked a thumb. Both krogan nodded, looking grateful. "If I need you, I will call. Mika is monitoring." When the door opened, Crado stepped in. He nodded to the krogan as they exited hastily.

"Anya?" Her husband asked as he stepped to her side.

"What do you think, Crado?" Anya asked in a brighter tone. "Computer Science?" He looked at her and then smiled.

"That was a hole." Crado said with a nod. "I mean, we all know some computer skills. Can't live without them. But _anyone_ who can hack STG databases..." The salarian looked up, her eyes going from one to the other.

"What?" Norilossa asked slowly. "What do you mean?"

"You know you are wanted on Sur'kesh for hacking secure files." Crado said gently. "Right, Norilossa?" Anya looked at him and he shrugged. "I asked Obligatha for any new information on her. The Council received a 'detain for questioning' request from the salarians. For her."

"Didn't care if I left traces. Had to know." Norilossa said woodenly. Then she stiffened. "What...? I... No, this could be a trap. A trick. Some kind of... set-up..." She broke off as Anya laid a hand on her manacled ones.

"We are _going_ to corroborate your story." Anya said in a very kind tone. "If you _have_ lied to us..." She sighed. "Well..."

"You can't trust me." Norilossa said slowly. "If I were trying to set up a long term covert identity, this is how I would do it."

"Who said anything about trusting you?" Anya said with a smile that Crado shared. The salarian stared at her and she smiled wider. "Norilossa, I worked with _lots_ of people I didn't trust. It _helps_, mind you. But it is not needed."

"But..." The dalatross sputtered.

"No buts." Anya said with a smile. "We _could_ use you. We are making a school, and could use more tech oriented people. I am tempted to make you head of our IT department." Crado shuddered and Anya nodded. "But I am not that vicious."

"_You can't trust me!_" The salarian shouted, shocked.

"Norilossa, calm down." Anya said with a snap. "I am _not_ letting you leave in this frame of mind. I am _not_ going to throw you to an unpleasant fate without at least _trying_ to help. You are suicidal. Tell me I lie."

"You..." The salarian shook her head savagely, but then slumped. "You don't." She admitted. "I am. I... I tried working through it. I tried the healers. They couldn't help. The drugs didn't help. I metabolize them too fast."

"I know." Anya's voice was whisper soft now. "I understand." The salarian looked at her and Anya sighed. "I tried to die four times when I was a teenager. My life was a living hell, but I got better." Crado stared at his wife and then embraced her. She smiled at him but did not take her eyes off Norilossa. "So I _do_ understand, but I am not going to let you go. Norilo wouldn't have wanted that."

"I don't...know anymore." Norilossa said slowly. "Nothing is clear anymore."

"I didn't know salarians suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Anya said with frown. "I didn't think it would affect you for so long."

"I don't know what is wrong with me." Norilossa replied.

"I do." A new voice said from the door. An asari in medical garb entered the room. She sighed as she looked at Anya. "You don't know me, Captain Solinus. My name is Aeian T'Goni. I serve on the Merciful Flight." Anya looked at Crado and he nodded. "I specialize in such ailments, in many species. Most of us have similar reactions to high stress encounters." She paused and then sighed. "It's confirmed." Anya crumpled a little and then nodded. "Her family was slaughtered by a Yahg. STG tried to catch her, to try and recruit her to spy on you, according to Kirrahe. They missed her."

"Kirrahe is still around?" Anya asked, rising.

"That crazy dude is _never_ going to croak." Crado said with a grin. "I bet when Death comes for him, he will tell his troops to 'Hold the line' and they will."

Norilossa obviously did not know how to react as Anya came to her side of the table and squatted down so her eyes were level with the salarian's.

"PTSD sucks." Anya said with a sigh. "I don't know what asari can do for _you_, but for me, it took a while. You have a place here, Norilossa. For as long as you want to stay. In memory of Norilo. We _could_ use you."

"I..." Norilossa shook her head, bemused. "I don't know..."

"Captains..." The asari said as she came close. "We will need some privacy." She stopped and spoke to Norilossa. "I went through this myself, dalatross, during the war. I had... a bad experience." She said with a catch to her voice. "But I can help you."

"The war was nothing _but_ bad experiences." Anya said with a scowl as she rose. "That is what war _is_." She reached out and took Norilossa's hands in one of her own. The other she held behind her. "Crado? Key." A code key landed in her hand and she brought it forward to unlock the dalatross' cuffs.

"I..." Norilossa cringed slightly. "I don't know..." Then she froze solid as Anya embraced her. "What?"

"You _can_ get better." Anya said as she released the dalatross and stepped back. "But you have to want to."

"For what?" Norilossa asked, forlornly. "My family is gone."

"I know." Anya said just as sadly. "Those of us who survive horrors have to go on, somehow. But..." She leaned close to look the dalatross in the eye. "You do _not_ have to do it alone."

"I..." Norilossa shook her head and slumped. "What do I do?" She asked the asari.

"Relax." Aeian said slowly as she stepped forward. Anya jerked her head at Crado and both made way for the door. "Slow, deep breaths." Anya smiled in fond memory as she pulled Crado from the room and the door hissed shut behind them.

"Is she going to do what I _think_ she is going to do?" Crado asked suspiciously.

"Yep." Anya said with a grin.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked curiously.

"Before I met you, I had...some issues." Anya admitted. "After that pirate raid I told you about, the one I held off... The Alliance couldn't really help me, so they sent me to a specialist. An asari specialist. She was kind and gentle. Just like Aeian. Norilossa will be okay."

"I am glad you got better." Crado said with a small, sad smile as they walked. "How you doing?"

"Okay." Anya said with a sigh. "I get tired very easily now. I need to stay in shape, keep working out to stay in shape."

"Yeah." Crado said with a leer. "Let's not let that pretty body go to waste." He gave her a hug that she returned.

"Don't plan on it." Anya replied with a grin. Then she sighed. "The krogan will _not_ be happy."

"I don't know." Crado said with a thoughtful look. "The memory of what they endured because of the genophage will not fade for some time, but..." He shrugged. "If anyone can keep them in line, you can."

"I guess having a scary reputation is good for something after all." Anya said with a smirk. "Speaking of... Drolis?" Crado smiled as her tone turned hard and then he nodded to the side. Anya did not speak, just reached out with a lightning quick hand and grabbed something that she couldn't see. "Don't make me hurt you, Drolis!" Anya snapped. Crado laughed, and then stepped back to give them the illusion of privacy.

"How do you _do_ that?" The salarian asked as he appeared. He stopped struggling. He wasn't stupid. "Every time. Every single fracking time."

"I have told you." Anya said mildly, but did not let him go. "It utterly defeats the purpose of having a tactical cloak if you stink, Drolis." She looked him in the eye. "You gonna be stupid?"

"I _do not_ stink!" Drolis protested. "I took a bath!" Anya just looked at him and he sighed. "What?"

"Drolis..." Anya said sadly. "Did you use soap?"

"I...?" The salarian sputtered. "What? What kind of a question is that?" He demanded, only to freeze as Anya glared at him. "Ah, yeah... I did." He admitted, somewhat sheepishly.

"Drolis..." Anya said softly, her tone somewhere between resigned and amused. "One bath is _not_ going to erase the smell of living around krogan and vorcha for so long. You may _never_ be rid of it." She carefully hid a smile as the salarian groaned. She gave him a shake. "Your hygiene -or lack of it- is _your_ business." She said mildly, but then her voice hardened. "You broke one of my rules. I know how Aria reacts to such things. Give me one good reason I shouldn't beat the crap out of you again." The salarian met her eyes and resignation shone in them.

"It will raise your cranial blood pressure. You might have a stroke." Drolis said seriously. Anya stared at him and he shrugged. "We... We just got you back, boss..." Was the salarian about to _cry_? "I messed up. I know I did. But... living around krogan in the Blood Pack... I..." He slumped. "They were not good people, but they were _my_ people. I never talked to them, but listening to them made me understand. Made me angry."

"Yeah."Anya said softly. "I know." She shook her head. "You heard Norilossa." He nodded and she continued. "You think it's true?"

"I have heard of attacks on Sur'kesh." Drolis said in a thoughtful tone. "Backchannel stuff. Could be real, or it could be an elaborate ruse."

"Yeah." Anya agreed. She looked him over and then nodded. "Okay, that _is_ a good reason. Crado." She said as she pushed the salarian so he overbalanced. Crado grabbed the off balance being and held him tight. "There is no reason _he_ can't at my orders, now is there?" Drolis grinned at the threat.

"I have _missed_ you, Hurli-" He broke off with a gasp as Anya grabbed him by the throat and pulled him so his face was inches from her own. Crado actually stepped back, looking worried.

"The _asari_ who were there can call me that." Anya's mild tone belied the fire in her eyes. "You were _not_ there and you are _not_ asari."

"The _councilor_ was there?" Drolis asked in an incredulous tone.

"She was." Anya snapped. Then she shook herself savagely and let him go so he fell. "Don't push me on this, Drolis. I am serious." Drolis stared at her, shocked.

"Anya." Crado said gently. "Calm down." Anya stared at him, then she winced. Crado stepped forward. "Anya, you okay?"

"Headache." Anya said slowly. She shook her head as Drolis started to rise. "Just stress." She shook herself again and focused on Drolis. "Drolis, check her story in the backchannels. Use _any_ contacts you have." He nodded. "And Drolis..." Her tone turned hard. He looked at her and she backhanded him across the face. "Do not _ever_ mistreat another prisoner of mine." He didn't even flinch.

"I won't." He said softly. For him, that was the same as an oath sworn in blood. He smiled. "Good to have you back, Boss."

"Get out of here." Anya said with a scowl as the salarian scampered away. Then she grinned. "I _do_ like him. Uncomplicated."

"Have I said recently how crazy you are, Anya?" Crado asked with a sigh. Then he looked at her. "Why does that phrase bother you so much?"

"I..." Anya slumped in place. "Ah hell... Crado, I was all about control. I lost control of my biotics that night. If not for Aria, Illia, Tevos and a number of other asari, I would be dead." He stared at her, aghast. "I almost crushed myself into a pulp, Crado. I..."

"Anya..." A soft and gentle voice sounded form nearby. Illia stepped out of a cross corridor, a sad expression on her face. "It wasn't _your_ fault."

"Illia..." Anya stammered, recoiling from the kind asari. She backed up and ran into Crado, who hadn't moved. She barely felt his hands on her, holding her upright."I... I can't..."

"You need to face this, Anya." Illia said gently. "C-Flat Viridian sent you to us, because we _could_ help you. But then you had to go out and fight again. And again. And again..." The asari was crying now. "Anya, please. Let me help you. Let _us_ help you." Another pair of hands were holding her now and she didn't have to look to know that Kai had joined them.

"You couldn't, Illia." Anya said softly. "There wasn't time, and I was too hurt..."

"Now, we _can_. Your biotics are disabled, so this is likely the _only_ chance you are going to get to face this." Illia replied softly, her hand coming up to brush Anya's cheek. "But you need to face this. Like you said to Norilossa, if you don't _want_ to get better, you never will, Anya. Do you?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Anya asked sourly. Then she stiffened as a gentle song sounded in her mind. "C... I..."

_{Be at ease, Anya_.} C-Flat Viridian said gently. {_You need to face this. We will help.}_ All three of the others nodded.


	58. Chapter 58

**Almost eleven years previous**

Captain Anya, Alliance N7, stepped into the entry room of the secure Alliance facility with a faint trace of misgiving. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. It wasn't anything she could see. The facility was well defended for something that no one was supposed to know where it was. She had passed two heavy turrets, suitable for taking out armored vehicles of low flying aircraft. And then, no less than _four_ heavy anti-personnel guns covered her as she stopped just inside the door. Of course, if what Admiral Hackett had told her was _true_, then this place was not _nearly_ defended enough... She squared her shoulders and strode towards the desk she could see. She nodded to the corporal behind the desk as he looked at her. She ignored the guns tracking her as she placed her Eagle pistol in a secure locker and turned to the desk.

"I am Captain Anya." Anya said quietly. "Hackett sent me." She did not react at his expression as he saw her face. Or, where her face _would_ have been if she hadn't been wearing her Fury mask. It was the whole _point_ of having a scary looking mask, to freak people out. But she didn't like doing it to her own people.

"Yes, Ma'am." The corporal said with remarkable poise. "You are expected."

"Ah, good." Anya said with a sigh of relief. But the nagging sense of something wrong did not go away. "One less headache. The only absolute truism in military life is that the bureaucrats _have_ to louse things up."

"Oh yes." The man agreed with a smile. "Let me... Ah, here you go..." He handed Anya a security badge. It had no picture on it, just a number. "That gives you access to all the regular areas. If you need anywhere else you will have to get clearance."

"Is there a bathroom?" Anya asked with a sigh. The corporal looked at her and she shrugged. "It was a _long_ shuttle flight."

"Yes, Ma'am." The man replied with a smile. He hit a button and a hidden door nearby clicked open. "Third door on the left, you can't miss it. I..." Whatever he was going to say next was cut short by a gunshot. Anya was in motion before the man's cooling form hit the floor, diving to put something solid between her and the soldiers in familiar armor who had just appeared in the door that had opened.

"_Cerberus!_" Anya screamed, angry beyond belief. The three assault troopers who had just come in paused at her shout, just for a second. A second too long. She had her barriers up.

It hadn't been that long ago. She had been sent to Benning, to help with the evacuation there. The things she had seen, the things she had done... She _detested_ Cerberus. She _hated_ Cerberus.

"Look out!" One of the troopers had time to scream before Anya was in among them, her speed enhanced by her odd biotic field. Incidentally, that field also ate anything she wanted it to. In this case, the three hapless troopers. But it was a slow death, and Anya was in a hurry. She summoned power and literally exploded , throwing the three misshapen corpses away from her as she darted through the door. What greeted her chilled her to the bone. Cerberus apparently hadn't been there long, just long enough to set up basic defenses. Four small robotic turrets whirred as they swung to target her.

She dodged to the side as four streams of high velocity projectiles sought her, throwing a singularity into the mass of white armored soldiers she could see behind the turrets. A quick blip in space-time and she was away from where the turrets sought her, safe for the moment behind a large bank of computers. She swallowed. The docs and her trainers had always said that the nausea she felt when she did that was psychosomatic, that there was no physical cause. But she still felt sick to her stomach, every single time. A quick glance and her smile was feral as she threw a mass of kinetic energy at two floating forms. As always, the mass effect fields colliding released a great deal of energy. White armored bodies and pieces of white armored bodies went flying.

"There!" A voice called and Anya spun back into cover as fire started chewing at it. "Get some grenades in there! We have him boxed in! He is all alone!" She snarled, but it was true. No other cover was close enough for her to evade to. No backup. This wasn't _supposed_ to be a combat op. She threw another singularity, basically trusting her instincts to find her target. She need to find a way out... _ah!_ She smiled under her mask as she kicked the vent cover in and dove into the shaft. The explosions of grenades chased her in. "What the...?" The same voice snapped. "The vent! After him! Don't let him get away!"

The first trooper to enter the shaft did so smart. His gun led him in, but he was looking the wrong way and Anya slammed him with kinetic force hard enough that twenty feet down the duct, Anya clearly heard the sound of his neck breaking as he slammed into the side of the vent.

"Get him!" That same voice shouted. "We do not have time for this!"

Anya retreated, wishing she had a grenade, but she rarely carried them anymore. She could make bigger and more damaging explosions with her mind normally. She cast a singularity to block the vent and scuttled away as projectiles started piercing the vent. The miniature black hole wouldn't hold them for long, but it should...

Anya bit back a scream as a projectile found her. Her barriers, weakened by the strain she had been placing on them, failed and she felt a stunning impact. She had forgotten. Every time she slipped space time, it cut her barriers significantly. Her questing fingers found a hole in her armor, a wet one. She was hit, bad. She threw another singularity when she felt the old one fail and scuttled away, holding her side. Her medi-gel dispenser clicked and the pain faded, but she didn't have a lot of that.

Anya moved faster when she heard the recognizable sounds of armored men in the ducts behind her. She found another vent and paused, the room beyond was dark. Dark enough? She kicked the vent and it gave. She darted out into the room and shoved the vent back into place. Then she ducked out of view just in time as a pair of white blurs clanked past.

_{Still about as smart as a box of rocks...}_ Anya thought with a smirk. _{Dangerous, but **dumb**...}_

She looked around the room she was in and froze. The room was filled with bodies. Many were human, asari, salarian, turian. Others...were not.

"Crap." Anya swore under her breath as she checked each one, not expecting anything. Cerberus rarely left witnesses to their atrocities. All were dead. Many had been executed. How long had Cerberus been here? Then she stiffened. One of the alien forms had moved, just a little. She went to her knees beside the bleeding form, unsure of what to do. Her omni-tool's first aid database had nothing on rachni and she knew nothing about their physiology except they thrived on toxic worlds.

The rachni was barely half her size. It had been shot, several times. There was nothing she could do but hold it as it's life fled. It looked at her. Then...

{Who...?} Anya stiffened. The thought wasn't her own!

"I am Anya." Anya said softly. "Who are you?"

{Queen...} The alien thought was slurred, indistinct. {Drugged...}

"They want you alive." Anya felt horror the likes of which she hadn't in some time. "Madre de dios! I can't let them take you."

{Kill.} The thought came softly, sadly.

"Yes, I will kill them all." Anya said with a snarl as she moved to put the now still form down.

{No.} The voice in her head demanded. {Kill. Protect songs. Kill.}

"I don't understand." Anya said softly, then she froze as something wafted over her. With it came understanding. The queen wanted Anya to kill _her_. "No!" Anya breathed in horror. Then her tone hardened. "Only _Cerberus_ dies today."

{Can't...} The voice was fading. {Don't...}

"I will be right there." Anya promised as she laid the now still form down and rose. The voice did not answer her. She moved to the door she could see now and paused, listening.

"I don't see _how_ an Alliance soldier could have hidden in the room with the bodies. The vent into it was too small for an armored man." A sour voice came to her ears. "But I _will_ check." Anya flattened beside the door as it hissed open and the beam of a hand light played across the room. "Ah..." The form of a Cerberus Engineer strode into the room. "One of the little bugs moved. That was what I heard." He kicked the now still rachni form and laughed. "All dead now. Nope..." He replied to whoever he was talking to. "No one else here. Still the same ETA? Thirty? Good. Right, I will have the bug prepped by then."

As he turned, Anya was in motion. He caught a glimpse of her but it was far, far too late. Before he could speak, she had her hands placed properly and gave an expertly trained jerk. A snap and his neck broke. She dropped him and darted for the door. A startled sound came them the engineer's com, but Anya was gone.

This part of the facility looked different. It looked more like a cave than a military base. She had to be getting close. She wished momentarily for a tactical cloak, but there were a lot of shadows. And as always, Cerberus troops were loud. She made herself small in one of the shadows as a pair of troops ran by. She hadn't seen any Nemesis or Phantoms, and she counted her luck. As it was, her only allies were speed and sneakiness, of which she had a great deal.

"Doc's dead!" One of the troops shouted. "That Alliance scum broke his neck!"

"He is in the cave!" The same voice that had hounded Anya -it had to be the team commander- snapped. "Find him!" Anya's eyes narrowed under her mask. She had heard him say that. He was close. She ghosted from shadow to shadow. Her suit's limited ECM would keep the Cerberus goons from finding her unless they managed a visual. At which point, she would likely be toast. Then she froze.

A man in Alliance fatigues stood in the middle of a large room, a pistol in hand. The pistol was pointed in the general direction of the rachni queen that lay on her side against one wall. Even from where she stood, Anya could see alien blood seeping. A spy or double agent? Probably.

Anya scrutinized the room. There was apparently only one entrance a human sized being could see and she was looking through it. Other holes -the size of the now dead small rachni- were scattered around the room. But there _had_ to be more Cerberus. The leader wouldn't be... alone? Would he? It had to be a trap. But...where? Her eyes slowly swept the room and then she nodded. Whoever was waiting for her was probably flattened beside the door, just as she was but on the other side. One or two? And what weapons? She shook her head silently. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to let Cerberus win. Not here, not _ever_. She stood up out of her shadow, twisted space-time again and jumped into the middle of the doorway. A pulse of power and BOTH Centurions that had been hiding in ambush staggered back. Her field clicked on and she threw kinetic energy at one while slamming bodily into another. Her scream of rage masked the shrill cry of pain as she hit the man with a mass field enhanced punch. As he flew back, obviously not going to rise, she spun back to the other. But he was gasping his last breaths, his life signs fading from her HUD. He apparently had managed to impale himself on a sharp bit of rock when his shields had failed.

"Freeze!" The commander snapped as Anya spun to look at him. "Move and I fire!" He snarled, pointing his weapon at the still rachni.

"Go right ahead." Anya said silkily. "Shoot the rachni. I don't care."

"What?" The man asked, nonplussed. His attention was on Anya, so he did not see the one of the queen's appendages start to move behind him.

"I was sent to check up on things." Anya said offhandedly. But her awareness was all around. How long did she have until goons flooded in and shot her in the back? "I don't care about rachni. I _do_ enjoy killing you scum."

"Doc wasn't armed." The man snapped.

"Riiight..." Anya said in a slow drawl. "Cerberus engineer, unarmed. Pull the other one pal. I was on Benning, asshole." The man froze. "As far as I am concerned, the only good Cerberus scum is a _very_ dead Cerberus scum. Go ahead, shoot the rachni. You will be dead before you hit the floor and then I will kill _every last one of you!_" This last was a soft scream.

"You can't win." The man replied, his pistol's aim shifting a little.

"I have a question for you, traitor." Anya said slowly. "What makes you think I care?"

She did not move as the clawed appendage that had been slithering quietly rose and darted forward, but the man had seen it and dodged. Anya was in motion as well, slamming the man with kinetic energy that threw his pistol out of line with it's target. But he was busy fending off the appendage that was still seeking him as Anya closed.

"You want her alive!" Anya snapped as she slammed into the man. "_We_ are under _no_ such compunctions about _you!_" He tried, but he was spy, a sleeper agent. He relied on surprise and deception to win his battles. Anya was a soldier. She needed neither. In moments, his lifeless form slid from her hands and she stood, breathing heavily. "Can you move?" Anya asked the rachni. Then she snorted. How was the rachni supposed to... She froze as the dead man's mouth opened and an utterly inhuman voice sounded. Reading Shepard's reports of what happened on Noveria during the hunt for Saren hadn't prepared her in the slightest. It was _beyond_ creepy.

"No." The voice of what had to be the rachni was sick and sad. "I... cannot..."

"Don't try." Anya said sadly. "You are hurt."

"So... Are you..." The clawed appendage moved close and Anya tried not to flinch as it touched her abdomen armor which was weeping red now. Her exertions had reopened her wound. "You hurt..."

"No time." Anya said, hearing shouts in the distance. "If you can't move then I have only one choice. I will hold the door."

"No!" The voice begged. "Kill. Flee..." Anya sighed as she felt an absolute calm descend on her.

"No. It is a soldier's duty, to place him or herself between non-combatants and those who would harm them." Anya said slowly as she took a place by the door. "I _do_ wish Brutiz was here. But I can make do..." She shook her head and started to sing. "Heaven burns, the stars are falling, as the enemy draws nigh... Sound the call, fleet and marines, Alliance our battle cry! Face the foe, never waver, summon fire from the sky!" As the first white armored forms appeared, she strode in the middle of the door, blocking it. "Bound by blood and peerless honor, hold the line until the light!" She snarled as the troops paused, gawking at her. "_Hold the line against the night!_" Then she in motion. "_None shall pass!_"

In the long and painful time that followed, Anya was not aware of anything but the music that sang in her blood, of the rage that sang with it. Power flowed through her like never before as she cut loose with everything in her extensive repertoire. She had trained as an adept originally, then N7 training had honed her abilities to the point where she could do more damage on her own than several full squads of Alliance marines. The Cerberus force hadn't had a _clue_ what they were facing. They tried anyway. And they died.

It came as a shock when the last white armored form slumped to the floor from where Anya had thrown it and she was still breathing. She took stock. She had been hit again, her barriers pierced twice more. Once in the upper chest. That was bad. Her armor could deal with some of the injuries, but it her HUD flashed with a warning to seek immediate medical help. Her medi-gel dispenser was exhausted. She had been hit again in almost the same spot on her abdomen as before and in the arm. But the chest wound would kill her. She turned in a slow circle, seeking any more enemies. But none of these were ever going to move again. Indeed, many of them had already vanished. Cerberus didn't like leaving evidence behind and all their troops were equipped with devices that incinerated the bodies leaving nothing but ash and bittersweet memory.

"Wow..." Anya said slowly as she staggered back toward the queen. "I..." Something changed and she spun with an oath. But then she froze. _This_ wasn't a Cerberus goon. The rachni warrior was _not_ happy. It pointed something weapon-like at her, but then a sound the likes of which Anya had never encountered before filled the room. It was pain, fear, anger, sadness, and... love. Anya felt her eyes pulled to the slumped queen who was staring at the warrior. Obviously some kind of communication was going on, but Anya couldn't hear it. She staggered as her strength left her, and fell but... She didn't hit the floor. The rachni warrior had caught her! It hefted her gently in it's arms and carried her towards the slumped queen. "I..."

It laid her down very carefully. The queen's mobile appendage came close and Anya smiled at the huge form.

"If I die today, then this was a good way to die. Protecting the defenseless." Anya said sadly. "I don't even know your name." She said to the queen. The appendage moved to the side and Anya followed it as it traced through the pool of blood that was all that was left of the Cerberus sleeper agent and then marked an English letter 'C' on the floor. "Your name is 'C'?" Anya asked slowly, consciousness fading. "Cool..."

**The present**

"My god..." Raan'ita said slowly as she watched Anya jerk on the bed. She wasn't awake, but she had been speaking non-stop, describing everything she had encountered. "Is she reliving it?" Anya and C-Flat Viridian had wanted her present. And of course, Raan'ita wasn't about to quibble, but this... Anya lay on her bed. C-Flat Viridian filled most of the room, the quarian and Kai the rest.

"Yes." Kai choked out. Raan'ita looked at her and Kai gulped. "I just saw it all, through her eyes. I felt what she felt... I had no idea... I had no idea how much she hated Cerberus. The rage, the pain... Oh my god, Anya..." Kai sobbed. "She has to face it, and we can't help. All we can do is be here for her." She froze as Anya woke with a scream. "Anya!"

"C!" Anya said sharply. "Kai.. I..." Then she looked at C-Flat Viridian and shook her head. "Did that hurt you? The rage and pain I broadcast when we met?" The rachni just looked at her and Anya sighed. "You won't tell me. I know I did. Dammit, C..." Anya was crying now. Neither Raan'ita or Kai spoke and C-Flat Viridian was silent as well. Anya sighed again. "Okay..." She said, calming. "My hate comes from my experiences on Benning. Seeing white armored forms gunning down men, women and children was horrifying. But the ones responsible are dead." Anya said softly. "I killed them. I scared the krogan with me that day with my bloodlust, but I killed them." Anya said in a monotone. "They are dead and gone. It is... the past." She said, her face lightening. "Thank you, C." She said, grateful. "I needed to say that."

"Yes, you did." Kai heard C-Flat Viridian say through her. She hadn't had to ask this time. Kai was literally an extension of the queen now. She didn't _mind_. It was actually pretty cool. So many songs, she was busy trying to sort them all, and would be for a long, long time. "Next?"

"Drink something first, Anya." Raan'ita commanded. "Your mouth _has_ to be dry." She held out a water bottle that Anya took gratefully and sipped. In short order it was empty and Raan'ita took the bottle back silently.

"Right." Anya said with a shudder as she lay back down, closing her eyes. The rachni's clawed appendage surrounded her head and she was instantly asleep.

"What is next?" Raan'ita asked softly.

"Hurlie girlie." C-Flat Viridian said through Kai.


	59. Chapter 59

**Another memory, ten years previous**

"This... sucks!" Anya said softly as she made her way towards the bar called Purgatory. "Of all the places for her to want to meet. I _hate_ that place..." She muttered under her breath.

She felt...wrong. Everything was wrong. She should be out there fighting with her team, not lying on a bed, and certainly not going to a bar. And dressed like _this_? Anya hadn't known what to do when the request for a meeting had specified 'civilian attire'. All she had was uniforms. So she had gone with her battle dress uniform. Fatigues were fairly common. There were soldiers in the line that she could now see. At least the docs had _finally_ released her. Temporarily. She scowled in memory.

She had spent three days in the hospital. That had been...unpleasant. She hadn't been hurt. Her injuries had been tended with skill that all the docs at the hospital had found flatly amazing. They had run test after test after test, trying to figure out _how_ the wounds she had taken had vanished so quickly. She didn't know. She had barely been conscious for most of it. She had been operating on adrenaline and sheer willpower, holding off the Cerberus goons until backup had arrived. Then she had collapsed. When she had woken, she had been floating in...something. She hadn't been able to move or see, but it hadn't bothered her. Her host had been kind, gentle, funny and very, very good at what she did. Ultrasonics had soothed her pain and fear away while she healed far, far faster than humans normally could. When Anya had woken up on a regular bed, she hadn't hurt _at all_. Her armor had been pierced in three places, two of them serious, and not even a scar was left! So, she had reported for duty, only to find out that her 'host' had reported her injuries and she had been gently, but firmly escorted to the hospital. There she had been poked and prodded.

It had taken every ounce of self control Anya possessed not to flatten the last couple of docs who came looking for samples. She _had_ spent the time productively. She had caught up on her reading. She thought she had that new biotic technique down. Only actual battle conditions would prove if the channeling ability would work or not. It should, she had gone over the footage a hundred times, looking for nuances only visible to a trained biotic. But it was the boredom that had really gotten to her. Sitting still had never appealed to Anya. So when they finally _did_ let her loose? She _jumped_ at the chance if it got her out of the hospital. They _did_ want her back unfortunately, but she had the night off to meet C's representative.

Anya had a soft smile on her face as she took a spot at the end of the line waiting to get into the bar. The being she called 'C' was a marvel, a treasure, a friend. The only being she felt this kind of closeness to was Crado Solinus, that somewhat insane Turian soldier who she had recovered first to begin what was now being called a N7 Special Ops team. She wasn't entirely sure about that. She was N7. It had been a _hell_ of an ordeal, the training. But in the end, she lived to serve and she could serve better as an N7 than as anything else she had encountered. She sighed inaudibly. If Admiral Hackett, Admiral Anderson and Commander Shepard of all people didn't have problems with calling the irregular teams that, why should she? Was it just stubborn pride? She _knew_ she was stubborn. She had seen it in her personnel files. It shouldn't bother her, but it did. She shook her head. The mission was all that mattered. And right now, the mission was to meet someone named Illia.

"Ma'am" The polite voice startled Anya out of her musing and she looked up to realize she was at the front of the line. The salarian acting as doorman looked at her oddly and she grimaced.

"Sorry, was distracted." Anya apologized. "I am meeting someone." She keyed her tool to ID her and the salarian peered at the identification before jerking.

"Oh! Captain Anya!" He stammered. "You are expected. Your party is in the Green Room." He shook his head. "You should have said something. You didn't have to wait."

"I have been sitting in a bed or chair for the last three days." Anya said with a smile. "Standing feels good. Green...? Room...?" she asked, curious.

"Oh." The doorman blinked and then nodded. "You haven't been here before." It wasn't a question, but Anya shook her head anyway. "Just inside, first right, third left past the restrooms. You can't miss it." He paused as Anya flinched. "Ma'am?"

"Nothing." Anya said quickly. That had been what that corporal had told her, just before Cerberus had attacked her in the facility where 'C' had been hiding. What had his name been? Sanders? Shanas? Simmons? It had started with a 'S', she knew that. He had died moments after saying that, gunned down by a Cerberus assault troop. She shook herself and smiled, she hoped naturally. "Thank you."

The salarian looked at her oddly, but nodded and waved her in. As soon as she entered, she could feel the pulse of the music that permeated the place. She took the turn she had been directed and sighed in relief as the sound and bone throbbing beat of the music ebbed a bit as a door hissed shut behind her. Then she was somewhere else. She could feel the duct around her as she fast crawled through it, trying to stay ahead of the Cerberus goons that were chasing her. She could see a vent cover ahead, maybe she could...

"No!" She said aloud, forcing herself to the present by sheer effort. "It is _over_..." She said under her breath. She found herself leaning against the wall of the corridor, breathing hard. She snarled softly at herself. Why was she having flashbacks _now_?

"Ma'am?" A soft, worried female voice asked. "You okay?" She looked up into the eyes of an asari. It was hard to tell ages on asari, but this one looked old. The asari stared at her and then winced. "Anya?"

"Do I know you?" Anya asked, unsure, steadying herself in the wall for a moment.

"No." The asari said with a smile. "But we have a mutual friend. She says you call her 'C'."

"Oh." Anya said with a grimace. So much for making a good first impression. "You must be Illia then."

"Yeah." The asari seemed concerned. "You were leaning against the wall when I went to the facilities as you humans say. You hadn't moved when I came out. Are you all right?" Anya kicked herself. _How_ long had she been lost in that blasted flashback?

"I..." Anya sighed. "Yeah. I am." She shook herself and straightened. Illia tilted her head, looking at her.

"No, you are not." Illia said in a no nonsense tone. She stepped back and nodded towards a nearby door. "Come on, let's talk."

"Is it safe to talk here?" Anya asked, worried. "I mean, after what happened... I do _not_ want to put C in danger again."

"It is." Illia said with a smile. "You will see." Illia started for the door and Anya followed. It opened as Illia approached. Anya followed her into the room and paused.

The room was fairly standard. Soft music was playing from hidden speakers. Several small tables were scattered around the room, a few of them occupied. An ancient looking asari was tending a bar to her right. To the left, several booths held groups of asari sitting, eating and talking. One booth was empty.

"I took the liberty of ordering for us." Illia said mildly as she led Anya toward the empty booth. "I wasn't sure when you would get here." Anya nodded, then stiffened, but managed to keep walking as she recognized a few of the asari. Councilor Tevos was sitting and talking to Aria T'Loak! Illia looked at Anya and smiled gently. "This is a private place. No monitoring devices or recorders allowed. It is swept for bugs very hour. We don't advertise it, but when we want some quiet -and most of us do every so often- we can come here. You need some quiet."

"I am fine." Anya protested. "Just tired."

"I can feel your tension, Anya." Illia said gently as she sat. "C-Flat Viridian couldn't help you. Sit." She indicated the seat opposite her and waited.

"Okay." Anya said with a mental grimace as she did as instructed. "I..."

Whatever she was going to say was sidelined as another asari stepped up to the table, arms full of plates. Anya stared at the array of dishes that were quickly laid out in front of her. Then she grinned. Someone had read her file. The main dish in front of her was a paella, a bowl filled with all kinds of things. She had always loved the Mexican dish. Just smelling it, someone had found her favorite spices. She took a deep breath savoring the-

She was on her feet, hands up and ready before her mind caught up with the sound of a crash from nearby. Her power hummed in her mind as she sought threats, targets, whatever. But there was none, only a server bent over to clean up the dropped plate amidst a few snide comments. She snarled at herself and banished her power. It was harder than it should have been, but she was in control. Illia hadn't moved.

"Your food is getting cold." Illia said mildly.

"I..." Anya sighed and sat again. "I am sorry. I am just...not..." She shook her head, aghast with her inability to articulate herself.

"You are a mess." Illia said with feeling. "Come on, eat. It has to be better than hospital food." She picked up her beer and took a swig.

"_Anything_ is better than hospital food." Anya agreed with a laugh as she dug into her food. It tasted as heavenly as it smelled. "It is good to meet you, Illia." Then she paused in sudden worry. "Who is paying for this. This cannot be cheap. With Earth...occupied." She swallowed heavily. "I mean the spices alone..."

"C-Flat Viridian asked me to meet with you." Illia said mildly. "I am not without resources. And technically, since her people are helping with..." Illia broke off and shrugged. "...a 'special project', this falls under Alliance R&D funding. She was given a stipend, one she doesn't really need. So she decided to use it to help _you_. She likes you." Anya nodded. Even here, even now, security for the Crucible had to be airtight or all was lost.

"I like her." Anya agreed. "Do I need to get a receipt?" Anya asked, half joking. Alliance Brass usually had little time for people who used Alliance funds for personal expenses.

"It's handled." Illia said with a smile. She took a bite of her own food and smiled. "Ah, they got it right. This place is worth every credit."

Anya hadn't thought herself hungry, but in short order, the huge bowl in front of her was empty and she was cleaning up the scraps. She eyed the beer that Illia had ordered her and shook her head, picking up her water glass instead.

"It might help." Illia said mildly. "How long since you relaxed, Anya?"

"A while." Anya said sadly. "But with the war and all... I..." She sipped her water to avoid having to speak.

"You are driving yourself crazy." Illia said gently. "Yes, it's a war. Yes, it's bad, the worst I have seen. And I have seen a few. But _you_ cannot stop it all on your own. You cannot, Anya..."

"I just have to keep going." Anya was shivering now, fear or what? She couldn't figure it out. "I... What the hell is wrong with me?" Illia stared at her and then blanched.

"Anya!" She snapped. "_I need some help here!_" she shouted as Anya felt...something happen. Her power suddenly exploded from her control, trying to sear, to burn, to kill... She couldn't cut loose in here!

"_No!_" Anya screamed, trying with all her skill to keep her power close to her. She felt the dinner she had eaten come back up. She tried to stop it, but it wasn't to be denied. A few fairly ghastly minutes later, she was sitting on the floor, gasping as pain flared through her.

"_Anya!_" Illia's scared voice came from somewhere nearby. "Let it go!"

"I... I can't..." Anya was aware she was crying. That someone was holding her as she shook.

"You have to." A harsh voice sounded from close at hand. "If you don't, it will kill you, and we need every soldier now." Something found her lips and the voice spoke again. "Drink." She took a drink, only to gasp as the alcohol seared her throat.

"That is too much, too soon, Aria." Another voice sounded from nearby. "She can't tolerate the same levels we can."

"Piss off, Tevos, I _have_ done this before." Anya blinked. The queen of Omega was tending her? What the hell? "You spent two hours telling me how much we need people like her. Let me do this."

"Okay..." The other asari sounded amused. Anya shook her head, but something grabbed her in a vise like grip. She looked up into cold eyes.

"Girl, if you don't relax, your power will eat you alive." Aria T'Loak said calmly. Then she paused and smiled. A shark might have gotten goosebumps. "You cannot hurt us. Why do you think you were sent _here_?"

"I... I can't..." Anya stammered. "You... I..."

"Ah!" Aria snapped. "Idiot human girl!"

"Let me try." Another, gentler voice sounded. Another asari, younger looking, stepped close and Anya focused on her with difficulty. "You are powerful, Anya. More powerful than any human I have ever encountered. And I have met quite a few. My name is Sha'ira." Anya goggled. The Consort was standing here, talking to her? "Asari are taught from a very young age when to release their power. We have to. It hurts us when we hold it in and ready for too long. Just like it is hurting you. Anya, you cannot hurt us. You can let go."

"I don't know how." Anya said in a very small voice.

"Drink." Sha'ira said softly. "It helps. Alcohol is a depressant. It will relax you." A bottle appeared in front of her and she did not resist as it was held to her lips. She drank again, gasping as the rough alcohol seared her throat again. "That's it..." Sha'ira crooned. "Good girl."

"You make her sound like a pet!" Aria snapped.

"I..." Anya gasped. "I am gonna..." She couldn't stop the retching spasms that arched through her. She could only ride the horrible feelings. Finally, she was spent and opened her eyes. What met them had her freezing. Aria stood in front of her. The asari's dress was coated in slimy, nasty gunk. Anya spoke softly. "Arai T'Loak? I think I owe you a drink."

Aria looked at Anya and then laughed. It wasn't mocking, sarcastic or bitter. It was heartfelt. The queen of Omega was amused.

"That you do." Aria agreed, holding out a hand. "Better?" She asked, her voice almost kind.

"Yeah." Anya said slowly as she accepted the hand. Aria drew the human to her feet without apparent effort. Anya paused as she looked around. "Madre de dios..." She muttered. The room was a mess. Part was blackened and burnt. The rest of it had nasty looking stuff splattered all over the place. "I..."

"Let _no_ one say you don't have guts, girl. We can see you do. You can projectile vomit with the best of them, girl." Aria said, a wicked lilt in her voice. "And I hereby dub thee, 'Hurlie Girlie'."

"Oh..." Anya groaned. "The brass are gonna have my head. I will help clean it up."

"We need you out there, fighting." Anya stiffened again as Councilor Tevos stepped into her field of view. "We need every soldier, especially the most skilled ones." Some of her...stuff had landed on the Councilor but Tevos didn't seem to notice. "We need you, now more than ever."

"What happened?" Anya asked. The burning seemed to be centered on the area where she had been sitting. The booths were still there, if singed.

"What happens when you take too much in, Hurlie Girlie? Alcohol or power. Same difference." Aria asked, her tone derisive. "You lose some of it. In your case, explosively."

"I didn't mean to barf on everyone." Anya said, humiliation singing in every vein.

"Anya..." Illia stepped forward, taking the human in a gentle embrace. "You almost died. Thank you, Aria. Tevos. Everyone. Thank you." She nodded to both.

Aria looked at the younger asari and nodded before turning and walking toward the door, a napkin wiping her face. Tevos smiled at Anya, then turned with Sha'ira to follow Aria.

"Come on, Anya." Illia said gently. "Sit down. You need to eat something." She led Anya back to the booth and gently sat Anya down.

"Dunno if I can." Anya said, still mortified. "How much is it gonna cost? Cleaning and repairs?"

"Anya." Illia sat beside Anya and held the now crying human woman. "It is not your fault. The Alliance hasn't had biotics for very long. There is a lot you humans just don't know yet. You cannot hold power in for so long."

"Have to... be ready..." Anya said, unsure. "Always... never know... when,..." She was shaking and then she was crying again. She found herself lying on the seat, her head in Illia's lap as the asari stroked her hair.

"Ah girl..." Illia crooned. "Brave and strong and everything. C-Flat Viridian was right. We need you. We are going to keep tossing you into firestorms. We don't have a choice. Not now with the Reapers attacking. It's not right."

"Right and wrong don't come into it." Anya said softly, her eyelids drooping. "We live or we die."

"Sleep, Anya." Illia said sadly. "I will get you back to the hospital and put to bed."

"You are not my mother." Anya said on the edge of sleep. "You are a lot nicer."

"Don't kid yourself." Illia said softly as Anya nodded off. "I am not nice at all, Hurlie Girlie. Except to those I love."

**Later**

Anya woke up with a start. She had oversle- She froze, looking around the hospital room that had been her home for the last few days. She was wearing a hospital gown again, and had tubes in odd places. A familiar form was sitting by her bedside.

"Morning, Hurlie Girlie." Illia said with a grin. "Don't scare me like that." The asari said softly.

"What?" Anya asked, her face confused. She thought back and stiffened. "What the _hell_? I...?"

"You lost control." Illia said sadly as she took Anya's right hand in her own. "You held your power in readiness too long." The asari sighed. "The Alliance hasn't had biotics for long, has it?"

"Not really, no." Anya admitted, trying to make sense of all this. Then she blanched. "I _threw up_ on Aria T'Loak and Councilor Tevos?"

"You threw up on _everybody_, Hurlie Girlie." Illia said with a smile that faded. "But nobody blames you. You had no idea what was happening or why. Every asari is taught at a very early age that what you did to yourself is _bad_. I am glad Aria and Tevos were there. I don't know if I could have stopped you alone. You are powerful." She admitted.

"What happened?" Anya asked, her voice small. Illia took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I was trying to relax you." Illia squeezed her hand gently. "The food and ambiance help us to calm our minds." The asari continued. "C-Flat Viridian was _very_ worried about you, what she sensed in your mind..." Illia shook her head. "And she was right. You were and are wound way too tight."

"But..." Anya stammered. "I..."

"Anya." Illia said sadly. "Please listen to me. Please?" She begged. Anya shut her mouth and Illia continued. "You nearly died." Anya felt all the blood leave her face and Illia nodded. "You are _so_ tightly controlled _none_ of us had a clue... When you should have let it out, you pulled it back in instead. You nearly turned into a pint sized singularity without armor or barriers."

"I..." Anya was shaking now as Illia gave her hand another squeeze.

"Ordinarily, when we create singularities, we control what they affect, how large they get, all that." Illia said gently. "If not for Aria and Tevos..." illia looked sick. "The singularity probably would have failed when your brain... crushed, but..." She broke off as Anya started to cry. "Oh, Anya. I am sorry. I thought I could calm you, ease you. I had _no idea_..." Anya scrubbed her face with her free hand before speaking..

"Not your fault." Anya said after a moment.

"I don't know." Illia said with a sigh. "I would offer myself, but C-Flat Viridian says the thought makes you almost physically ill."

"I..." Anya shook her head. "Why is she so concerned? I helped her, yes. But..." She broke off as Illia gave her hand a shake.

"Is it so hard to understand, Anya?" Illia asked gently. "Or do you think rachni cannot love?" Anya stared at her and Illia bowed her head. "You nearly _died_ for her. You put yourself, with no thought FOR yourself, between her and the scum who wanted her. You were wounded, almost mortally, for her. Small _wonder_ she thinks so highly of you." Anya lay back, shocked.

"I..." Anya shook her head. "It was my job..."

"Anya." Illia said sadly. "You need to relax. You need to calm down. You _have_ to." The asari begged. "Or what happened last night is _going_ to happen again. The next time, there may not be two powerful asari to hold you in check while your power drains." Her free hand came up and stroked Anya's cheek gently. "Please, Anya..."

"I..." Anya didn't have a clue what to say.

"Is there anyone you like enough to sleep with?" Illia asked calmly. Anya's face heated, but Illia was not dissuaded. "Anya, it is _excellent_ stress relief."

"I..." Anya shook her head. "I am in command, I have to remain distant..."

"Your people respect you, Anya." Illia replied softly. "One of yours was there last night." Anya's eyes went wide and Illia smiled. "She was hiding in a corner. She came by last night while the docs were checking you out." Illia sighed. "_They_ are annoyed with you by the way. But C-Flat Viridian told them to and I quote 'fuck off'. She has put her feet down. You are out of here today."

"One of my people?" Anya asked softly. "Who?"

"Her name is Oeia." Illia said with a smile that faded. "You scared her. I _think_ she was going to muster her courage to talk to Tevos about you. I am not sure. But she and I talked while the docs worked on you. She admires you, more than you could imagine."

"Can't imagine why." Anya said with a sigh. "Stupid, ugly little girl playing with power she cannot..." She broke off as Illia slapped her. It didn't _hurt_, but it stung. She stared at the asari as Illia's eyes changed color from normal asari blue to silver.

"Stop that." The melodious voice that came from Illia's lips was not her own. It was calm, but held annoyance. And Anya knew it!

"C...I..." Anya stammered, discomfited. This was beyond weird. She stared as she watched Illia start to cry.

"To my people, you are small, pale and squishy. But not to me. To me, you are beautiful, strong and brave." The rachni queen said through her translator. Anya blushed, but the rachni continued. "No one insults you in my presence and gets away with it, Anya of the Alliance. We want to help. Please let us."

"I...' Anya felt the floodgates open and suddenly she was sobbing. Illia gathered the human into an embrace and held her as she cried.

"You cannot do it alone, Anya." Illia said quietly as she rocked the crying woman. "Humans -like asari- are social animals. You need to socialize. I will help as I can,. But..." She shook her head. "Is there _ no one_ you like in your team?"

"There is one." Anya said after a moment. "But he is a turian..." She said hesitantly.

"Turian, huh?" Illia asked with an odd smile on her face. "They can be fun." The asari said with a grin. "Let me give you some pointers..."

"You...?" Anya broke off, unsure how to say what she wanted to without giving offense. Far from offended, Illia laughed.

"Anya, I have lived for over six hundred of your years." The asari said with a grin. "_Yes_, I have slept with turians. Turians, salarians,..." She paused. "Never got into the whole hanar thing, but the elcor was fun." Her grin turned urchin-like. "And the volus sure knew how to party..."

"El...cor..." Anya hadn't known her eyes could _get_ that wide. "Ah..."

"Later." Illia promised with a wink. "Now, turians have that hard exoskeleton, but they DO have a few erogenous zones, especially beneath their fringes..."

Anya shook her head, but in amazement, not negation, as Illia educated her.


	60. Chapter 60

**The present**

"Oh Anya." Kai said gently as she held her sobbing sister. "I am sorry, I didn't understand." Anya had been crying since she had woken from what C-Flat Viridian had done to her. Raan'ita stood nearby, her scanner whirring.

"Not your fault." Anya stammered. "Not your fault, Kai. I just... I just buried it all. I had to, to keep going. My hate made me strong. I had to be strong."

"Yeah." Kai said softly. "Strong but brittle." She hugged Anya again and then released her. "I envy you, you know." Anya looked up at her elder sister, tears streaking her face.

"You never found anyone." Anya's words were not a question. Her face fell. "Oh, Kai. I am sorry."

"I still have time, sis." Kai said with a small laugh. "But I am not...really... Well..." She sighed. "I am _not_ the kind of girl you bring home to show off to the parents." Anya looked at her, then at the bulk of C-Flat Viridian who stood as far away as she could in the small room, then back at Kai. Kai stared at her sister. "What?"

"You haven't looked." Anya said flatly.

"Anya." Kai said with a groan. "Please do _not_ try to match make me."

"Who said anything about 'try'?" Anya said with a smirk. But then she sobered. "Kai. You are my sister and I love you. If I can help you find happiness, why shouldn't I?" Kai muttered something and C-Flat Viridian made a soft noise. Anya nodded to the rachni and then glowered at her sister.

"What?" Kai demanded.

"She is not going to let you get away with that, and neither am I." Anya said with a snap. "You are _done_ punishing yourself as of _now_. Right C?" She asked the queen who made an odd motion. It looked as if the rachni had tried to nod, but wasn't really capable of it. She managed sometimes to make it look almost right. But not always.

"Argh." Kai groaned. "_One_ of you mothering me is bad enough."

"We do it because we love you, Kai." Anya said with a smile as she embraced her sister again. "And now... I know where my hate is coming from. My experiences on Benning honed and focused the hate I felt for our mother and father. I didn't know they were Cerberus at the time, but I _did_ know their worldview. I always figured they would wind up with Cerberus. I never thought they were _with_ Cerberus."

"Apparently, father was one of the founding members, providing financial support anyway." Kai said with a sigh. "There is so much he never told us." Kai complained. "I know we were just things to him, that was always made abundantly clear by his wife." Hate sang in her tone and Anya stared at her for a moment before embracing her again. Kai stiffened as Anya started to cry again.

"Don't follow my road, Kai." Anya begged her elder sister. "Anger and hate will kill you just as surely as a bullet or blade if slower."

{Listen to your sister, Kai.} C-Flat Viridian's gentle voice sounded in Kai's head and then vanished.

"I don't know what else to do." Kai said sadly. "I can't... I don't..."

"_Y__our_ turn, Kai." Anya said, patting the bed beside her. Kai stiffened, but Anya did not move. "It hurts, Kai, but it helps. You have to face this and not just for yourself. Your rage and pain can and will hurt C. I will try to get Melissa and Jenni to accept C's help too." Kai's eyes went wide at that. She stared from Anya to the rachni and her face was crestfallen. "Kai... It's okay. Memories can hurt, but they are just memories. You have to pull them out so you can look at them, deal with them. C will keep you from harm. I will be here."

"Anya, you need to talk to Scholar." Raan'ita said slowly.

"My sister needs me." Anya said with quiet firmness. None of them flinched as a hologram appeared nearby.

"I will stay, Madre." Lipa said gently. "Tia Kai? I cannot touch you, but I will stay with you. You are not alone. I can translate for C-Flat Viridian, if not as easily as you can."

"I..." Kai shook her head. "Anya, you don't know what you are saying. I don't want to expose anyone to... To what I was..."

"You were an assassin." Anya said gently, stroking her sister's cheek. "You did things that darkened your soul. You killed a pedophile you caught in the act. I wouldn't have been nearly so quick." Kai was shivering and Anya held her. "Kai, we have to go on. It is all we can do. We have to. But I am going to tell you what Illia and C told me. You do _not_ have to suffer alone. You are _not_ alone."

"We are all messes, aren't we?" Kai said soberly.

"All of us died a little in that damned war." Anya agreed. "You gonna be stupid like I was?" She asked sourly, holding her sister at arm's length and scrutinizing her. Kai flushed a bit but shook her head.

"No." The former Cerberus Phantom said with a sigh. She lay down on the bed, her head towards the rachni queen. Anya smiled, bent down and kissed her sister on the cheek. C-Flat Viridian took Kai's head in her claw and Kai relaxed into sleep.

"Raan'ita?" Anya asked softly as she rose.

"I will stay with her." The quarian promised.

"I will monitor as well, Madre." The hologram of Lipa promised as well.

"You trust me to walk to sick bay alone?" Anya asked whimsically. Raan'ita just looked at her and Anya winced. "No, of course you don't." She said sadly.

"Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "You are nowhere _close_ to recovered. Remote monitoring is only so good. It's not a lack of trust. Its worry. You are a mess. One session with C-Flat Viridian is not going to fix you. You know this."

"I do." Anya said softly, then paused as the door hissed open and a pair of Protheans became visible. One was Javik. "Keep me informed. I will see when Melissa and Jenni will be free." The rachni queen made a noise that soothed Anya's jangling nerves as she walked to the door. She smiled at Javik, but then sobered. "We never _did_ finish that hot wash, did we?"

"No, we did not." Javik replied, his face frozen in a mask of professionalism. Anya started walking and the two Protheans formed up at her side.

"Come off it, commander Javik." Anya said as the door hissed shut behind her. "Hot washes and after action reports are tools for learning. I am _not_ going to second guess you. I wasn't there." Javik looked at her and she shrugged. "I won't say I am not angry, because I am. I love these miscreants." She said with a fond, sad smile that the other Prothean shared for a moment. "But there is one absolute truth for soldiers. It is _not_ a safe profession. It has to be done. As long as there are people who believe they deserve more, or want more at the expense of others, there will be a need for people to defend the defenseless." Javik nodded soberly.

"You remind me greatly of another human I met." Javik said after walking for a moment. Anya looked at him and he sighed. "I was hate, vengeance personified, nothing more. She... She kicked me until I realized just how far I had fallen. Touching her was like touching light. Warm and bright and clean..." He shook his head. "I didn't know what to make of her. I thought her weak. I was wrong."

"Shepard?" Anya asked softly. He nodded and she smiled a bit forlornly. "She... tended to surprise people. I mean, she could be the hardest assed bitch in the universe one moment and then kind and gentle. Many people look at beings in uniform, and think 'Oh just another dumb soldier'. But then someone like her comes along." Javik looked at her and she shrugged. "Hard to blame the civilians sometimes. I mean, for many people, soldiers are invisible. We exist, sure, but they don't _know_ us. Add to that, most soldiers are young and often less than tactful..." She broke off as Javik laughed.

"_That_ hasn't changed, I see." The ancient Prothean said with a grin.

"No." Anya said sadly. "But where do _any_ sentients learn wisdom?" She asked.

"From experience." Javik said slowly. "Even Protheans have to learn to use the memories and experiences we can share through our enhanced senses. No two of us have the same reactions to said memories." He mused.

"Nope." Anya said with a sigh. "I shared that ability while I was in the pod, and in the suit Scholar made for me. It was...incredible." She admitted. Javik looked at her and she paused. "Javik? How _did_ Protheans reproduce, before the Reapers?"

"Carefully." Javik replied coldly, his face distant. "Every aspect was controlled. There were... a lot of forms. Rebels like Scholar aside, most of my people followed the rules. He didn't. And he paid for it." Anya looked at him and Javik shrugged. "Tell me _your_ people have never instituted such things, Anya."

"We have." Anya admitted. "Breeding programs rarely worked. Humans are endlessly inventive when it comes to getting around things like rules."

"Scholar was lucky." Javik said slowly. "Or unlucky, depending on your point of view. The usual punishment for violating that law was execution."

"For falling in love?" Anya asked, aghast.

"No." Javik said, an odd catch to his voice. Anya looked at him and his face smoothed back to calm stoicism. "For illegal procreation. The government did not _care_ how a being felt as long as they did not break the laws." Anya looked at him and he shook his head. "And yes, Captain. I did love once. But there was no time. And she died."

"I am sorry." Anya said sadly. "Every time I think I start to get some idea of what you suffered, I get slammed again."

"You shame me." Javik said softly and Anya froze.

"What?" Anya asked, unsure. "Why?"

"You are everything I wished to be when I was young." Javik said softly. "Strong, brave, ready to fight and die if needed. But you do not surrender who and what you are. You still have the courage to love. I did not. I was... I was leaving her when the Reapers hit the station we were on. When they killed my love." He shook his head. "When I started on the road that turned me into an Exemplar of Vengeance."

"I had no idea." Anya said softly, horrified.

"How could you?" Javik asked reasonably. "When Shepard woke me from my long sleep, revenge was the only thing that drove me. The Reapers are stopped. But I am alone."

"No, you are not." Anya's tone might have shattered stone as she turned to the other Prothean who stood, frozen. "Give us some privacy." He stared at her and then nodded, moving away a bit. She leaned close to Javik who looked at her, curious. "They need you, now more than ever. Don't you _dare_..."

"Captain Anya..." Javik began, but cut himself off as she laid a hand on his shoulder. He froze and then his eyes went wide. "No."

"Feel what I feel." Anya said calmly. "See what I see." Javik tried to jerk his shoulder from under her hand, but it clenched. "They need you." Javik's face went white and then, unaccountably, he staggered. "I am sorry to force that on you so quickly, without warning. But They. Need. You." She said softly, enunciating each syllable carefully.

"You..." Javik was shaking his head. "I..." He focused on Anya and his eyes went wide. "You... _You_ are an Exemplar..."

"No." Anya said sadly. "I am a mother."

"Yes, you are." Javik said softly, his face filled with wonder. "An Exemplar of Love..." Anya stared at him and he smiled sadly. "Exemplar in my time were the ultimate pinnacles of a certain aspect of life. Duty, honor, discipline, all of these were known. But there were others. I was the Exemplar of Vengeance. Shepard was the Exemplar of Victory, and she bought us victory at the cost of her own life. It can be a hard burden, Madre Anya. But it can be worth it. One of your people's religious texts put it best." Javik said as he took the hand she had put on his shoulder in both of his own and gave it a squeeze. "'No greater love hath a man than he lay his life down for his neighbor.'" The old soldier said calmly. "Why did your team follow you? Was it discipline? Was it fear? Was it anger? No..." He shook his head. "They loved you. They believed in you and they loved you. They trusted you to bring them home or at least to make their sacrifices mean something." Anya went still at that and Javik sighed. "I hope... I truly hope your path is gentler than mine was."

"Thank you." Anya said softly. "I don't...fully understand what you have said. But I will think on it."

"You are correct, Madre Anya." Javik said softly. "The children... My people need me. I will not...leave."

"Thank you." Anya said softly. "Padre."

"I don't think that will work." Javik said with a shrug as he took her hand and gently recovered it from her shoulder before squeezing it and letting it fall.

"Why not?" Anya asked as they started off again. "I can see they admire you."

"They respect me." Javik corrected her gently. "Awe may be a better word actually. To them, I am like Scholar, a remnant of ancient times. They do not love me the way they love you. They do not revere me the way they do you. I did not give rebirth to my people." Javik said gently as Anya sighed. "I am sorry, I cannot take your place."

"I wouldn't want you to." Anya said with a sad smile. "I _do_ love all of them. Even the ones who were born after I...left." She looked away. "But I _do_ want to get on with _my_ life too."

"I understand." Javik said equably. ""So do they. Intellectually anyway. But emotionally?" Javik shook his head. "They are all very confused now. So am I." He admitted.

"Well..." Anya mused. "Education may be the answer." Javik looked at her and she smiled. "They don't know what they want to do or how to do it. So let's help them find out. What would _you_ like to teach?"

"Me?" Javik stopped in mid-stride, his face intent as Anya smiled at him.

"Yes." Anya said quietly. "We are all survivors, Commander Javik. We all had one basic skill. Killing. Now, we can find a better use for our talents." She pursed her lips in thought. "We could use you. We need someone who can train biotic skills since I can't anymore."

"You _can_." Javik protested. "You just cannot demonstrate unless Scholar and C-Flat Viridian manage to help you."

"I am a realist, commander" Anya said with a sigh. "My body is strange. It does very strange things. I was genetically engineered to be a key and nothing more." She paused and then spoke again, her eyes going slightly vague. "I am a realist, commander." She sighed again. "My body is strange. It does...- What?" She asked as Javik stared at her.

"You just said that. You are repeating yourself." Javik said, his tone worried. Anya stared at him. "You didn't intend to?" Anya shook her head, fear beginning to surface.

"Scholar." Anya said sharply. "Now." Javik nodded and they took off at a very fast walk. It wasn't far, but by the time they arrived at Scholar's door, Anya was shaking with fatigue. As soon as the door opened, Anya stepped in.

"Anya!" Scholar said with a smile as he turned from his banks of medical gear. Jennifer stood nearby, obviously she had been helping him with something. "What it wrong?" He demanded.

"I don't know." Anya said with a grimace. "Suddenly... weak..." She stammered. Scholar was at her side in a flash and Jennifer as well, both had omni-tools out and whirring. Scholar looked at his readings, then sighed. Jennifer scowled and nodded. Without a word, she went to a cupboard and started pulling things out. "What?" Anya asked, scared.

"Anya." Scholar said gently, leading her towards a chair. "You have done too much, too soon. You are not going to die, but you _are_ going to hurt. Soon." Anya did not resist as he eased her into the chair.

"Gotta keep going..." Anya protested.

"Anya." Scholar said as he knelt down beside her. "Your blood pressure is through the roof. You are _not_ bleeding inside your brain, but I have _no_ idea why not. We need to calm you down, we need to lower your blood pressure and keep it low. That means bed rest. Uninterrupted. At least a day, probably two. I am going to give you something to put you to sleep and keep you there. Then we will work to lower your cranial pressure. I don't _think_ there is any damage, but I want to be sure."

"But..." Anya protested half heartedly. "I need to... Jenni...?" She begged as her sister came close.

"Anya, please." Jennifer said sadly. "Listen to Scholar. I don't want to lose you, not after all this."

"I..." Anya shook her head slowly. "I don't..." She shook her self and snarled softly. "Jennifer, you and Melissa need to talk to C. As soon as you can."

"I was going to." Jennifer said with a smile. "Illia persuaded me." Anya looked at her and Jennifer purred like a satisfied cat. "You were right. Don't let it go to your head." Anya chuckled at her younger sister's tone but then Jennifer sighed. "Melissa is being stubborn. I am halfway tempted to sic Illia on _her_. Here we go..." The human medic crooned a she laid her omni-tool against Anya's neck and warm lethargy spread quickly through Anya's body.

"Sic Chris." Anya said sleepily as the drug worked. "He can get her to see reason I think. He is just as stubborn as she is..." She struggled to sit upright. "Oh... Portia.. I need to..."

"You need..." Jennifer said as she knelt down to look her sister in the now drooping eyes. "...to sleep. Sleep Anya."

"Tyrant." Anya protested as she lost consciousness.

"Guilty as charged." Jennifer replied softly as she reached for the lower part of the chair and pulled out a blanket. She covered her sleeping sister with it and sighed. "She is gonna be a pain."

"You _think_?" Scholar asked with a soft laugh. "She is _not_ going to just bounce back from this. Come on, let's get her to a bed. What we had for her is in no hurry now. Get the gurney?" He asked. Jennifer smiled and stepped to the door. In moments she was back with a rolling stretcher. "Once Anya is situated, I will set monitors to keep her from overexerting."

"We _may_ have to strap her to the bed." Jennifer said sourly. "Or assign a guard." She sighed as she and Scholar lifted Anya's limp form onto the gurney. "Once we have her situated, I will need to talk to Chris and Melissa. Then I will talk to C-Flat Viridian."

"Good." Scholar said with feeling as they started the slumbering form off. "We had better get her husband in on this too. It could have been so much worse. If she HAD been bleeding..." He shared a shudder with Jennifer as the other two Protheans followed them. "I will set up controls by her bed so she can access the systems without moving from it. "

"She will fight it." Jennifer predicted moodily. "Being inactive always rankled her."

"She isn't stupid." Scholar said with a sigh. "But yes. Being in the pod nearly drove her mad. Until the children could speak to her, it was all I could do to keep her occupied. This should only be for a few days. Ah..." He looked up as a worried looking turian approached. "Crado. She is sleeping."

"How bad?" The soldier asked, reaching for his wife's slumbering form and then jerking his hand back.

"Her blood pressure was sky high." Jennifer said, letting go of the gurney so she could reassure Crado. "She will be fine, but we _have_ to keep her quiet and immobile for a day, maybe two so she can recover." Crado looked at Jennifer and nodded. He moved to follow the gurney as Scholar continued it on its way. Jennifer smiled and walked beside him.

"I will tell everyone." The soldier promised. "After everything that has happened, we do _not_ want to let her have a stroke."

"Yeah." Jennifer said with a small grimace. "Keeping her still is gonna be a pain in the butt."

"No." Crado said with a wide smile. "Actually it won't." Jennifer looked at him suspiciously. "Did you get the chance to tell her?"

"No." Jennifer said with a sigh. "She was shaking, with fatigue and pain. We wanted to get her settled. And it would have excited her." She shook her head. "If we had told her, she likely wouldn't have let us sedate her."

"Contrary to popular belief and much evidence, she is not stupid." Crado said with a shrug. "She acts that way on occasion, but she is not."

"You and she are going to have a child, Crado." Scholar replied quietly. "She may not be able to carry it to term, but she _is_ the child's mother. Do not expect her to act rationally all the time."

"Um... Yeah..." Crado said slowly. "I... Uh..." He shook his head and sighed. "There really is no easy way to say this. You know that Obligathat feels very strongly about Anya, and thus about me?" All the others in the corridor nodded. Crado's mandibles twitched, a sigh of distress. "It um... It looked for records of...changes done."

"Changes, Crado?" Jennifer asked slowly.

"Yeah." Crado said with a sigh. "The Reapers kept records of...everything they did. Every minion they created. I..." He shook his head again. "Damn it, Anya is going to kill me."

"Crado." Jennifer stepped to his side. "What?"

"Obligatha found my mate." Crado said in a monotone. _Everything _stopped at his soft words. "What is left of her. Apparently... She... She doesn't remember much. They turned her into a marauder. Obligatha asked me... if I wanted to see her again..." His face was stricken. "What do I _say_?" He begged.

"Oh my god..." Jennifer stiffened. All three Protheans had frozen in place. Then everyone jumped as Anya spoke.

"She is family. Say yes." The N7 murmured. Then she sighed and fell back asleep.

"Keeping her in the bed is gonna be _insanely_ hard." Jennifer said with a whimsical shake of her head. "Crado?" She laid a hand on the turian's shoulder. "We are here for you. Anything I can do...Just ask."

"I am going to need help sleeping tonight, doc." Crado said with a sigh. "My dreams are going to be bad." He nodded to the door they were approaching. "I _want_ to stay with Anya, but... my nightmares may disturb her."

"They won't. I will make your sleep dreamless." Jennifer said with finality. "And it is a double room. She will be on full support and plumbing. She will also be monitored at all times. If you all deactivate the monitors to engage in what Raan'ita calls 'horizontal calisthenics', I will not be happy. I _do_ have some stress to work off." She said with an evil grin. Crado looked at her and winced.

"Anya said you work off stress by beating the snot out of people." Crado said with a scowl. "Her words." He shook his head. "If we _do_, her blood pressure will go up. So no. If she does ask, I will tell her 'doctor's orders.'." Then he grinned. "A _scary_ doctor's orders." He reached out to Jennifer and she embraced him.


	61. Chapter 61

**At just about the same time**

"You ready for this?" The armored form at her side asked Melissa. He wore the standard armor of an Alliance Marine, but there was nothing standard about the man.

"No." Melissa replied, her tone worried. "I am not." She fingered the sleeve of her white ship suit and sighed. "But it has to be done now. The Indoctrination of all personnel has been undone. The implants have been removed. But they are all shocky. Like me..." She said soberly.

"Melissa, you do not have to do this." The man said kindly. "We _can_ handle this." The other armored form at her other shoulder nodded emphatically.

"It has to be me, Chris." Melissa said sadly. "Anya is out. Kai is incapacitated and... from _their_ point of view, she has been corrupted. You, Vincent and Jenni..." She shook her head. "It was kind of a dead giveaway when _none_ of you were so much as scratched when the station was attacked."

"I know." The former Cerberus operative said sadly. "I didn't _want_ to lie to anyone, Melissa. But when the Phoenix project was cancelled and they started Indoctrinating all of us..." He sighed deeply. "I convinced Vincent that we had to run. We didn't think the Alliance would take us. I certainly didn't think they would _use_ us as they did. But desperate times and all that."

"I know." Melissa said, her voice turning gentle. "Just... Let me do the talking. I am willing to bet everyone will be upset."

"You always _were_ a mistress of understatement." The other armored form said quietly. "You hugged the rachni, Melissa. They _may_ think you are corrupted too."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine, Vincent?" Melissa complained. "I have to do this now. Before they get any more upset."

"We are guards for you, Melissa." Chris said in a no nonsense tone. "Our orders are to protect you. Not that we wouldn't anyway."

"So has the Alliance figured out what to do with Anya?" Melissa asked as she stepped to a unmarked door.

"Not really, no." Chris said with a shrug. "Her status is still up in the air. Jennifer is recovering from all of her ordeals. Vincent and I are on extended assignment to keep your family safe."

"And secure." Melissa said softly. Neither males seemed to know what to say, so Melissa continued. "I am glad. I don't _like_ a lot of what the Alliance has and has not done, but..." She shrugged. "Just the _thought_ of someone like my birth father snatching Portia makes me shudder."

"We know." Vincent agreed. "Which is why every single team member who came is armed. Very few of us _want_ to fight any more. But we _can_ if needed. And we know who we can trust."

"I don't like this." Melissa said sadly. "But I do understand. Okay..." She took a deep breath and opened the door. She stepped in, her two armored shadows following her. "Let me do the talking." She repeated softly as she opened the door. The soft hum of conversation died as she stepped into the room.

Melissa walked to the front of the room, skirting the edge of the mass of chairs that had been set up . All were full. Thirty seven humans of various ages sat in the chairs, the survivors of the attack on the base. All wore the same white suit Melissa did. Most sported bandages, a few had flexi-casts immobilizing broken bones. Melissa carefully did not finger the bandages that she still wore. Taking the implants out of a Cerberus agent was _not_ a trifling matter. Luckily for her, and these, the medical staff who had come after Anya were incredibly skilled. She strode to the front of the room and sat in the chair that had been set up for her. She did not need to look to see that Chris and Vincent had followed her.

"Good evening." Melissa said softly. "I am sorry it took so long to get everyone up and mobile. I know people have been chafing with the waiting."

"Melissa...?" A dark haired young woman on the front ranks asked, unsure. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Natalia." Melissa said with a sigh. "How are you? I saw you go down in a spray of blood. I thought you were dead."

"Didn't expect to wake up." The other former Nemesis said with a shudder. "And... my implants..." Her hand went to her face, where one eye was missing, covered by a patch. The docs hadn't had time to re-grow her eye.

"The docs removed them." Melissa said with a nod. "All of ours. They were set to self destruct." She swallowed heavily. "Cerberus has always been somewhat...down...on allowing people to be captured."

"But not kidnapped." A harsh male voice stated from the side. Melissa nodded to the speaker, a red skinned man of middle years with a hard, angular face.

"What they did to you, Brian..." Melissa said sadly. "Is done. It cannot be changed. A few of you volunteered for service with Cerberus. The rest of us were not given a choice." She shook her head. "And what they did to us, even those who volunteered..." She broke off as the man she had called Brian snapped at her.

"Don't lie to me, bitch!" He said, jumping to his feet. "You were _part_ of it!" Far from cowed, Melissa met his eyes calmly.

"I was. So were you." She said, her soft, but clear voice silencing the angry murmurs that greeted his words. "I didn't volunteer, Brian." Melissa said, meeting the angry man's eyes. "Mom and dad took me to a 'special clinic' on my eighteenth birthday. I woke up, in a bed, implanted and was _told_ I was going to be a Nemesis, a sniper. I wanted to be an artist and they made me a cold blooded killer. You _know_ what the programming was like, Brian..." She snapped as he stared at her. "_You know_."

"I..." Brian stiffened. "I do..." He said softly.

"You _know_ what they did to all of us. Medical, technical, fighters, everyone." Melissa said relentlessly. "The shock therapy, the hypno-sessions, the..." She swallowed heavily. "The recreation facility..." She said with a grimace. Brian stared at her, confused.

"What does the rec facility have to do with anything?" He asked, looking around. But then he froze. Every _single_ woman in the group had the same disgusted expression on her face that Melissa did. "Melissa?"

"You don't know." Melissa's soft words were not a question. "They wouldn't have told you. What did they tell you? Did they say the girls in there were robots or something? Or just that we enjoyed having our free will stripped from us?" Brian stared at her, uncomprehending and she screamed at him. "_Did you enjoy it? Raping us?_"

"I..." He stammered. "They... No... I..." He shook his head. "Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

"We were drugged, you stupid son of a bitch!" Melissa snarled at him. "Between the drugs, the implants and the hypno-therapy, we couldn't do a goddamn thing but _lie_ there while you 'boys' had your fun!"

"Why?" A soft, scared voice sounded from the back and Melissa's heart broke as a small form rose to her feet. Kina was the youngest of the women, barely sixteen. She had been an intern in the science lab. She had been born and raised on the station. He parents had not survived the assault. "We were loyal, Melissa. Why did they do that to us?" She asked, tears starting to fall.

"Oh, Kina... Come here..." Melissa rose and walked forward. The girl stepped carefully through the crowd until she was close to Melissa. Then she gave a squeak as Melissa embraced her. Then the girl was sobbing. "This is not going to be easy or quick to get over. But we can get past this. We have a _very_ good shrink on station. She likes helping people. And we all need help." She said as she held the sobbing girl close.

"I don't understand." Brian said slowly. "I... I didn't know... I am sorry..." Most of the men in the room shared his confusion. One, notably, did not.

"Care to explain, doctor Francis?" Melissa said softly. Everything stopped in the room as every eye turned to a now cringing form in the very back row. "What you did to us on the Illusive Man's orders?" A growl started amongst the group, but Melissa spoke sharply. "It wasn't him! _He_ was implanted too. He wasn't given any more of a choice than _we_ were. Less."

"It was do as I was told or die, Melissa Wilson-Fuentes." The older man said sadly. "I wish I had possessed the courage you and your sisters did. But they would have found some hack to replace me. I tried to be gentle..."

"You were." Melissa said softly. Still holding the now clinging Kina, she returned to her seat and laid the girl on her lap. Kina just hugged her, crying. "I was told it was a breeding program, but that makes very little sense. Most of us had contraceptive implants."

"It was and it wasn't." The doctor said, not looking up. "I was ordered to check compatibility. To check gene scans. I don't know for what, just the sequences. If I found any, I was to bump them up the chain. I found two. Those girls vanished. I don't know what happened to them. I never asked. All the others? It was monitored. We were exploring options for human reproduction."

"But..." Brian stammered. "_Why?_ Why use _unwilling_ girls in the rec center? It makes _no_ sense. They... You hate us... And I can understand..."

"It makes perfect sense." Natalia said with a snarl. "We were all that was available. Kept you all happy and us in line." The males in the room all shared looks and then looked at the floor.

"That is the past." Melissa said sadly. "A horrible past, but past. Now we have to deal with the present and the future." She stroked Kina's hair soothingly and her voice turned hard. "But as of _now... No one_ will demand we do _anything_ against our will again. You have my word on that, and my sisters' words on that."

"Some future." Brain said, regaining control. "We are prisoners."

"For the moment." Melissa smiled sadly as Kina snuggled close, calming slightly. "Alliance headquarters wants to talk to you, but it will be on _my_ terms. And I give you _my_ word. If you have families left... I _will_ find them, and I _will_ find a way for you to return to them." Brian looked shocked at that and then thoughtful.

"This is the only family I ever had..." Kina stammered through her tears.

"I know." Melissa said kindly. "And I am _not_ going to throw you away. You are welcome to stay as long as you want." She looked up and spoke evenly. "That goes for everyone." More than one back stiffened at her words.

"Your...friends..." Natalia said slowly. "Wouldn't mind?"

"No." Melissa said with feeling. "They don't. We..." She paused and thought for a moment before speaking again. "We will need help. My sister Anya had an idea, to turn this station into a school." Brian froze and Melissa nodded. "Yes, like Grissom Academy." She stared as he paled and then crumpled to the floor before curling up into a fetal position. "Brian?" Kina jumped out of her lap and they both raced to his side. "Brian..." Melissa said gently as she patted his shoulder.

"They..." He stammered. "I..." He shook his head. "I tried to fight... I did..."

"It's not your fault, Brian." Kina said before Melissa could. Melissa smiled sadly as Kina embraced the now shaking man. "You were only fifteen."

"They shot my teacher... dragged me away..." Brian said softly. "I..."

"I wasn't there, Brian." Melissa said sadly. "But I know what they did before Shepard got there."

"I saw her..." Brian said slowly, his tone suddenly childlike. "Through a window, I saw her as they dragged me away from Ms. Anne's body. I saw three forms appear. She was one of the. The look on her face... I remember... She wanted to help, but she couldn't, the wall was too thick. She shot the glass and the goon who held me never even noticed." He took a deep breath and then let it out. "I woke up on a table. They had..."

"Yeah." Melissa patted his shoulder. "I hate you, but... I am sorry, Brain. It is so trite, so stupid, but it is all I can say. I _am_ sorry."

"I met her once." Brian said, his tone filled with remembered pain. "The mission on Ontarom... I was posted to hack the Alliance protocols, get into their systems. My turret was up and next thing I knew, I was down. She shot me. Blew through my barriers and armor with one solid hit. Before I blacked out, I saw her, standing over me, deactivating the hack. I... When I woke, I was back here, the docs putting me back together. They said I was one of three survivors."

"We kept trying for that facility." Melissa said sadly. "But the Alliance sure defended it heavily. Anya's team actually had some of the security duty. Hitting them was like hitting a reinforced steel wall. It hurt!" Brian nodded and uncoiled himself slowly. "Better?"

"What is going to happen to us?" Brian asked after Melissa and Kina had helped him back into his chair. "I mean... We are... Were... Cerberus."

"That is up to you." Melissa said as she returned to her seat, Kina holding her hand in a death grip. "All the women here have a place if they want it. Medical care and therapy if they want it. Education, training, and a job if they want it. The rest of you..." Melissa took a deep breath. "I hate you. All of you." She said flatly. "I..." She broke off as an armored hand touched her shoulder.

"Melissa." Chris' voice was gentle.

"I..." Melissa shook herself and focused, controlling her rage. "Yes. It's not the men's fault. It's not the women's fault. It is the fault of my darling father and mother who _designed_ this horror. Who _planned_ it all out in exacting detail." Hate sang in her voice, but then she sighed. "Any are welcome to stay. I..." She shook her head. "Any who leave will be under surveillance 24/7 in case another cell of Cerberus tries to contact you."

"I am staying." Natalia said softly. "Nowhere else to go."

"You will always be welcome, Natalia." Melissa said with a sigh. "Kina, you too." The young girl in her lap smiled a bit forlornly at her.

"I didn't know. But I have done something horrible." Brian said slowly, his words echoed by all the other men. The doctor in the back just slumped. "I need to make it right if I can."

"Right." Melissa said softly. "Anyone who doesn't want to stay can indicate it to me, or any of the guards. Your privacy will be respected. All who stay will be under full time surveillance. Step out off line in any way, and you will likely die. Just so you know, 'I' am under surveillance too. If 'I' step out of line, 'I' will likely get shot." The group looked at her and she shrugged. "Trust only goes so far. Anya and Crado Solinus are now the headmasters of this facility. Each of you who decide to stay will get a one on one interview, to let them meet you in non combat conditions. They will vet you, give you options on jobs."

"But what will we do?" Kina asked, unsure.

"You liked working in a lab, right?" Melissa asked her gently. Kina nodded. "Well..." Melissa said with a wheedling tone. "I _might_ know a lab that could use another set of trained hands." Kina's eyes lit up, but Melissa raised a warning hand. "But..." She said softly. "It's not run by humans."

"I don't know..." Kina said slowly. Then she nodded. "I will give it a try."

"Good girl." Melissa hugged Kina gently and then focused on business. "Okay, we are going into two dormitories that have been set up for us. Yes, I am staying with you." She said at Natalia's inquiring look. "My parents are _not_ in charge any more. And..." She sighed. "I need help too. I am mess too." She admitted. "The dorms are gender specific and separate. There will be _no_ fraternization." Melissa said sternly. "If you _have_ a relationship, and the docs can determine it is healthy, then you can move into shared quarters. Until then, _anyone_ I catch straying, I will assume is up to no good and I will _hurt_. Clear?" Kina looked at her, worried. "I am not capricious, Kina, You know that. But I _will_ enforce it. We have all suffered enough. If you need help, the docs can provide it. They will be discrete. Three of _them_ are female."

"But what if...?" Kina stiffened as Melissa's face went cold.

"If _anyone_ breaks this rule, Kina..." Melissa said softly, but with clear threat. "I am going to go get a spoon." At that, Natalia blanched, and everyone looked at the other sniper who winced.

"Don't..." The sniper stammered. "Don't ask. Don't push her. _Please_." She said, her face pale.

"I only did it once, Natalia." Melissa said mildly.

"Once was _more_ than enough to give me nightmares, Melissa." The other sniper replied savagely. She shook her head. "Don't ask, please..." She begged the others who looked curious.

"Someone irritated you." Kina said to Melissa who looked smug. The girl shook her head. "I don't want to know."

"You are right." Melissa said sadly. "You don't. I was not a nice person. Please, everybody..." She said to the group who were all staring at her now. "Don't push me on this. We all need time and space. We will have separate dormitories, separate facilities. Our meals will be communal, but _anybody_ stepping out of line will be caught and punished. Clear?" A ragged chorus of 'Clear' came from around the room. "On that note, I am hungry..." Melissa said with a smile. "Let's eat. Mess hall has been set up three doors down. Follow the Prothean guards. Doc... A moment?" She asked as the group rose to their feet.

"Ma'am." The former Cerberus medical professional said softly as the rest left the room.

"You have a hard road here, doc." Melissa said softly. She looked at Kina but the girl didn't let go of her hand and Melissa smiled sadly as she kept the girl close. "Do you want to stay?"

"I have to." Doctor Francis replied sadly. "I helped do this. I helped perpetrate this horror. I believed, you know... I really did, at first...In Cerberus. What it was, what it stood for. Then... it all soured."

"I know." Melissa said sadly. "Okay. Vincent... Escort the doc to Medical bay three." She didn't take her eyes off the doc who nodded. "Raan'ita Vas Merciful Flight and the Prothean known as Scholar are in charge. Step out of line and if you are _lucky_ they will kill you, clear?"

"Clear." The doc said softly. "And Melissa... Thank you." He nodded to her and then followed the armored man out the door. Kina looked at Melissa and her face was scared.

"Are you going to send me away?" The girl asked, one step removed from terrified. Melissa hugged her and she relaxed a little.

"No, honey." Melissa said gently. "I am not. I am going to keep you close until I can introduce you to the specialist in mental problems that came to help Anya and us. You will like her." Melissa said encouraging. "She _looks_ horrific, but she is kind, gentle and funny."

"The..." Kina stiffened. "The rachni?" She asked, worried. "I... I dunno..."

"She is _far_ easier to deal with than some docs I have dealt with in my life." Melissa promised. "But for right now... I _am_ hungry. You?" She smiled as she heard Kina's stomach growl. "I will take that as a 'yes'." Kina laughed as Melissa led her out of the room, towards dinner.


	62. Chapter 62

**The next morning**

"_Who_ are we meeting?" Melissa asked her companion carefully, stifling a yawn. She was the only one of her siblings who was currently awake, so when the call had come in that someone was arriving who needed to be met, she had offered. But information was slim.

"All I know is what I was told." Illia said gently. "A Marauder."

"A Reaper minion." Melissa said with a shudder. "And _why_ is a marauder coming here? The turians are gonna go nuts, and I don't blame them. If a husk came visiting, I _know_ I would freak."

"Obligatha was looking for it, apparently." Illia said with a sigh. "I don't know why. Something to do with Crado, but beyond that, no idea. He is not awake, is he?"

"Not for a while." Melissa said with a smile that faded. "Jennifer dosed him heavily. Anya is likely to wake before him." Melissa shook her head with a sigh. "The tubes and wires won't keep her in the bed."

"No, but Raan'ita is staying with her." Illia said with a laugh. "That quarian could give a black hole immovable lessons. Anya has met her match. I am betting that the meds that Raan'ita will give her will include a mild sedative. She needs the rest." Illia said with a sad look. "She pushes herself so hard..."

"I know." Melissa said with a fond smile of exasperation. Then she sobered. "Thank you for getting C-Flat Viridian to see Kina so quickly. I was worried about her."

"With reason. You will _all_ need help." Illia said softly, her tone concerned. "C-Flat Viridian is concerned she may not be able to aid all of you. She has recommended calling in human specialists. She...she doesn't understand the whole concept of non-consensual intercourse. She understands the effects, mind you... The discordant notes she can sense in your mind and Kina's mind were quite clear when she focused on them." Illia said with a shrug. "But rachni reproduce _very_ differently from most other races that we know of. This isn't something she can easily comprehend, even through me and Kai."

"She is a good soul." Melissa said softly. "I truly hope she never understands." The former Nemesis said sadly.

"Don't get me wrong... C-Flat Viridian is _not_ an innocent, Melissa." Illia warned the human. "She may not comprehend some forms of evil, but she does know it exists and she wants to help end it. She watched every being she knew from the moment she hatched _die_ at the hands of that Cerberus team, then she watched _Anya_ nearly die for her." Illia shook her head. "If not for her mother's influence, I think the experience would have driven her mad."

"She did seem...sad..." Melissa said quietly. "I like her. I hope she can stay."

"She wants to." Illia said with a nod. "So do I. But her parent has the final authority. She has been in constant contact, mind you. Her mother is not upset, more curious and wants to meet Kai and all of you if possible."

"Would that be possible?" Melissa asked. "I mean... _Can_ we leave?"

"You are not a prisoner, Melissa." Illia said gently. "Would it be easy? No. But we _could_ do it." She looked closely as Melissa and winced. "Did you sleep?"

"No." Melissa admitted quietly. "I was going to ask the docs for a sedative when we got the call. As soon as this is done, I will." She promised. Illia smiled and nodded, but then both females stiffened as the airlock they were facing opened. A small form appeared in the lock as the hatch finished opening. The body was turian in structure, but the lack of a long head fringe and the two side bony spurs proclaimed what the being was. The turian female wore civilian clothes, and her eyes and skin were glowing as most sentients did since the end of the Reaper war. She looked...scared. Melissa spoke gently. "Hello?"

"This one was directed to come here." The turian said in a mechanical voice. Her skin was dotted with the telltale signs of reaper tech, and her eyes had been replaced by mechanical apparatus. "This one was told to speak to Anya and Crado Solinus."

"Both of them are asleep." Illia said quietly, her gaze speculative. "They may be for some time, both were exhausted. We can offer refreshment."

"This body needs little nourishment." The mechanical turian replied. "It is appreciated, however." She paused. "Is the courtesy appropriate? This one remembers little of her life...before and has no wish to give offense."

"It is. You did not." Illia's voice was very gentle now and Melissa let her talk. "There is no need to fear. Everyone was informed of your arrival. It was felt that would be best, startling armed people is rarely a good idea." Melissa nodded emphatically.

"Agreed." The marauder replied. "This one was content where she was. But Obligatha insisted. We do not know why."

"They didn't tell us either." Illia said with a grimace. "So, we will muddle through. Do you have a name or a designation?"

"We..." The marauder paused and shook her head. "This one's memories are faulty. There was a great deal of damage... before..." She made what was obviously a grimace. "There is much this one does not remember. This one was told by Obligatha that her name was Granli Solinus." She recoiled as Illia gasped. "We do not understand." The turian said plaintively. "Have we given offense?"

"By the goddess..." Illia breathed. "No..." She said softly, holding out her hand. "May I touch you?"

"What significance would that offer?" The turian asked, curious.

"Some touches offer comfort." Melissa replied slowly, her eyes scooting between the turian and the asari. "Especially when someone has been...violated..." Melissa shook her head. "Like you were."

"This one does not remember." The marauder said sadly. "This one woke, as if from a long dream, among the ashes of Palaven. This one has remained there, working as a liaison between the turian military and the others like this one. This one is less threatening than many of her kind. This one enjoys helping people."

"Helping people how?" Illia asked, her hand touching the marauder's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. The marauder didn't seem to notice.

"This one was apparently trained as an engineer." The object of Illia's scrutiny said quietly. "This one enjoys taking problems and making them surmountable. There is much to repair, even now."

"You were a mechanical engineer." Illia's eyes changed color and her voice changed to denote that C-Flat Viridian was speaking through her. "A very good one, according to Anya."

"Who is this one conversing with?" The turian asked carefully. "You are not the asari in front of this one."

"She serves as my mouth." C-Flat Viridian said through Illia. "I am rachni."

"Oh..." The turian seemed to wilt. "You... We... This one gives apology, for what this one's creators did to your people."

"_You_ did nothing." C-Flat Viridian said calmly through Illia. "You were tortured, and turned into that form against your will. We cannot help you. The memories are gone. Parts of your brain that housed the memories were destroyed in your transformation."

"This one understands." The turian said quietly. "But this one does not understand why it was sent here. This one was content working as an engineer."

"You were told to talk to Anya and Crado Solinus." Melissa said quietly. The turian nodded confused, and Melissa continued. "Obligatha said your name before the transformation was Granli Solinus."

"Yes." The turian said, unsure. "What significance is that? It is not an uncommon name."

"Do you remember where you were...taken?" Melissa said, her voice catching a little. The turian stared at her and then her gaze went far away. "Before your change?"

"Not...much..." The female turian's voice turned speculative. "Gunfire, screams... a child wailing in pain and fear... No..." She stammered, staggering away. "No!" She screamed, pulling back from the two. "No! Do not make this one remember! It hurts!"

"I am sorry." Illia said gently in her regular voice. "But you have to. Crado is a friend and seeing you will hurt him, badly." The cowering female stared at her and then shuddered.

"This one was fighting..." The turian said in a monotone. "Minions of this one's creators were swarming all around. Two small turians were fighting beside this one. Both were hit... One died instantly. One died slowly. This one was unable to assist. The pain... the grief... please, do not make this one remember!" She begged.

"I am sorry..." Illia repeated. "But we have to know. What else do you remember?"

"Pain." The marauder said in a low tone. "This one woke in a processing center. This one's injuries were significant but not irreparable with the technology of the creators. After this one recovered, this one was kept in the processing center to assist in changing others. Keeping beings calm. This one apparently was good at that..." The turian said slowly. "This one is not sure whether to be pleased or horrified."

"Horrified." Illia said softly. "I saw the inside of one of those places, after the fighting stopped and my people went back to Thessia. I saw..." She swallowed heavily. "I saw an asari who was stuck halfway between asari and banshee. She was still alive. I can't imagine the ones on Palaven being any better."

"This one does not wish to cause problems." The turian said sadly. "This one will leave."

"No." Melissa said quickly, moving to block the way back to the airlock. "You are as much a victim as any of us were. At least _talk_ to Crado and Anya, then make a choice." She begged. "Please?"

"This one's presence will cause problems with veterans of the war." The turian said slowly. "This one does not blame them."

"You are not programmed to blame others." Illia said sadly. "You were programmed to obey. But you have no orders. So when Obligatha asked you... You took it as an order, didn't you? You dropped everything to come here, didn't you?"

"Yes." The female turian replied. "It was programmed into all of us to feel good when we obeyed. But... that didn't happen. Why not?" She asked plaintively.

"You have free will now." Illia said sadly. "It's a boon and a curse. You are responsible for your own actions. No one commands you anymore."

"The creators _could_ command this one." The turian -Granli- said slowly. "This one likely would obey. But...they do not wish to?" Puzzlement echoed though her tone now. "This one does not understand."

"Before all this, you were a turian." Illia said, coming close but not touching the cowering marauder again. "You were the life mate of the husband of a good friend of mine. He believed you slain during the fighting on Palaven."

"Would it not be kinder to let him continue to think that?" The mechanical turian asked plaintively. "This... This form is not pleasing to the eye. This one knows that."

"No." A soft, weak voice had all of them spinning in place. Illia and Melissa both blanched on seeing Anya standing against the corridor wall, her face pale. "He... needs... to see you..." She took a slow step and crumpled, catching herself before she fell.

"Anya!" Melissa snapped, going to her sister's aid. "Illia! Call medical!"

"Already here. Anya, you ignorant girl! I go the bathroom and you sneak out? Crado is gonna flip!" An irate voice snapped from nearby as Raan'ita stepped into view, her posture stern as she strode to where Anya was collapsing, her omni-tool flaring. "You are going to kill yourself, you stupid human!" She tapped her com. "I found her Scholar, cancel the alert. And send a gurney to the airlock." She said sourly as she took hold of Anya, keeping the woman steady.

"Had to be here." Anya said, her eyes on the turian. "Granli... Your mate and I... share something. Something marvelous."

"This one does not remember..." The mechanical turian said slowly. Then she stiffened. "You are hurt."

"I needed to see you, to apologize." Anya said sadly as Melissa and Raan'ita helped her down into a sitting position. "I... We thought you were dead."

"The being known as Granli Solinus _is_ dead, Anya Solinus." The turian female said slowly. "This one is not her. This one's designation is TM098976-457821-F. You must relax, Anya Solinus. Your blood pressure has spiked to dangerous levels." Worry sang in her tone. "Please... Do not harm yourself for this one. This one is... unworthy..." She hung her head.

"You are wrong." Anya said with a sad smile, her breath coming in gasps now. "I love the male who was your mate. He loved you. We are...family..." She stammered as Raan'ita worked her tool. The mechanized turian seemed to pause for a moment and then spoke in a more confident tone.

"This one can ease you." All eyes turned to the turian who seemed to wilt a bit under the scrutiny. "This one's purpose in the processing centers was to calm subjects." She admitted, her tone sorrowful. "This one is incapable of Indoctrination, but this one _can_ ease your rhythms. Please, allow this one to assist?"

"Ease how?" Raan'ita asked suspiciously, her face and tone worried as she checked her tool again.

"Low level electromagnetic fields allow for gentle sedation." The turian said softly. "This one is equipped with projectors in it's palms. This one cannot Indoctrinate." She pressed. "Please? Let this one assist? For whatever she was before?"

"Raan'ita..." Anya managed to choke out.

"If I give you anything, it will cause problems." Raan'ita said sadly. "Why couldn't you _stay_ in the bed?" The quarian was nearly in tears.

"Granli..." Anya spoke, the words coming out in several gasps. "Do it..." Raan'ita moved slightly, allowing the reaperized form to come close, but not moving from her spot.

The turian stepped close and laid her hands one other side of Anya's had. She did not look to where Illia had a weapon out, all her focus was on Anya. Her face turned tender.

"Easy, Ma'am..." The marauder's voice changed, it sounded more alive. "Let me help. Rest." There was no audible sound, but Illia stiffened as Anya relaxed. Anya took a deep breath, smiled and then fell asleep. The turian bowed her head and spoke in it's original tone. "She is...very hurt, but this one senses no bleeding. There are..." She paused. "She is not bleeding with her skull because there are nanites within her. They are repairing the damage she has taken. But they are directionless, confused..." She said, her tone worried. "This is... not good."

"Nanites?" Raan'ita snapped, her scanner whirring.

"Yes." The turian said, unsure. "She was never changed. So... This makes no sense. Why would she have nanites within her?"

"Can you tell where?" Raan'ita asked sharply.

"Yes." The turian said absently. "Here..." Her hand traced Anya's skull, careful to avoid the bandages, and then the sleeping woman's abdomen. "And here... Nowhere else. And they are... not dormant. But not fully active either?" She said, confused. "There are only a few, perhaps a thousand. This does not compute."

"That is where she was shot." Melissa said, horrified. "Did the collectors plan to change her?"

"They did." Raan'ita said with a snarl, but one not directed at anyone nearby. "Scholar saved her, repaired the damage. But he never scanned nanites in her. Are you _sure_?" She asked the marauder.

"Affirmative." The turian replied mechanically. "They are not responding to standard override codes." She shook her head. "But they are not replicating either." She said with a grimace. "This does not compute." She repeated uneasily.

"She was possessed by Obligatha." Illia said, her pistol vanishing. "Could _that_ be the cause?"

"She was _what_?" The turian asked, nonplused. Then she shook her head. "Maybe. This one does not know for sure. This one...never had reason to ask..." She said softly. Then her mechanical eyes dimmed for a moment. "Yes. Obligatha reports that during its possession, it replicated nanites into Anya's system. They should excrete in time, but they are designed to aid in repair and recovery."

"_That_ is why she wasn't bleeding." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "We had wondered."

"She is..." The turian said sadly, her hand coming down to stroke Anya's cheek. "Very hurt. Does this one comprehend that she came here unauthorized? That she left your care unannounced, doctor?"

"She did." Raan'ita said sourly. "I went to empty the waste receptacles in my suit and when I came back, less than two minutes, she was gone. Damn it, I don't _want_ to sedate her..."

"Even gentle medication may cause damage." The marauder said slowly. "The EM projectors this one is equipped with will not. This one can assist." She shook her head. "This one does not remember much of before it's change, but this one does feel...something for this human. This one can assist in keeping this human calm and relaxed while she heals."

"Illia...?" Raan'ita asked cautiously. "What does C-Flat Viridian say?"

"It was not the sound of indoctrination, the 'maddening sour note' that she hates more than anything else." Illia said slowly, her eyes far away. "She says it was... soothing and beautiful." Then Illia smiled. "_That_ is why Obligatha sent you. _You_ can keep her calm." Awe sounded in the asari's voice.

"This one did not ask." The turian said slowly. "This one's presence will cause problems."

"If it helps Anya..." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "_No one_ is going to do anything. Come on, let's get her back to her bed." She said with a sigh as a Prothean pushed a gurney towards them. "Will you stay?" She asked the turian. "And what do I call you?"

"This one will stay." The turian said sadly. "This one... likes this human female. And this one's name was Granli."

"Welcome to the family, Granli." Melissa said with a smile as she and Illia stepped back to let Raan'ita and the Prothean load Anya onto the gurney. "And I thought our family was strange before..."


	63. Chapter 63

**Later that day**

"I... don't know what to say..." Crado said softly as he sat by his wife's beside and looked at the female who had been his mate. "Granli... I..."

"This one understands your concerns, Crado Solinus." The turian female wore a medical tunic that Raan'ita had insisted she wear. Not that it made her look any less like what she was. A turian female who had been changed into a Reaper minion. "But this one does not remember _being_ your mate. What little this one does remember is...awful." She said with a shudder. "This one regrets causing you pain."

"No." Crado said, his tone moderating. "It hurt for so long, I got used to it. YOU did not cause it, the Reapers did. I just... I didn't mean to be unfaithful."

"You were not." Granli said, for the first time a hint of exasperation entering her mechanical tone. "Your mate died. They made this form from her, but this one is _not_ her."

"You have some of her memories." Anya said from her bed, her face intent. Granli looked at her and Anya flushed a little. "I am not moving!" She protested. "Don't sedate me, please? I want to talk to you."

"Your vital signs are stable, Anya Solinus." Granli said slowly. "If they fluctuate, Doctor Raan'ita has asked that this one put you to sleep. You need rest and quiet to recover, Anya Solinus. You chafe at the restrictions placed on you, but your brain was damaged. This will not heal quickly even with Obligatha's nanites keeping the bleeding to a minimum. Please do not harm yourself, Anya Solinus." She begged.

"I love this male, Granli." Anya said into the silence that fell. "He and I...fit. We complement each other in ways no one could have predicted."

"That is good." Granli said with a smile. "Harmony is always a good thing. Many minds working together can..." She froze and then she seemed to crumple. "No..." Her voice held terror now. "No... Not..."

"Granli?" Crado asked, worried as she recoiled a bit. "What is wrong?"

"Unknown..." The marauder replied, her tone strained. "Unknown data... surfacing... Not... Coordinated..." Then she stiffened and her mechanical eyes focused on Crado and she screamed. "_Help me!_" The tone was very different from her previous one. Both Anya and Crado stiffened at the raw terror that seeped from the form now.

"Granli?" Crado asked, shocked. "How the hell?"

"Crado!" The voice of what had to be his mate was terrified. "They are taking me! They are doing things to me! Crado! Help! So dark! So cold! They have me again... No!" She cried as she collapsed. Crado was at her side in an instant. But he was unsure of what to do.

"Granli Solinus..." Anya said softly. "Be calm. It is all right. Crado, hold her gently." The turian took his mate in his arms and held her while she sobbed.

"Who...?" The marauder asked. "Who are you?" She swallowed heavily.

"Granli, my name is Anya Solinus." Anya said gently. "We thought you were gone."

"Crado...?" Granli asked. "I am so cold...I... No... No..." She begged. She convulsed in Crado's arms and then relaxed.

"Uncoordinate data sequestered." The voice of the marauder came. It looked at Crado and then at Anya. "What has happened?"

"The being you were made from's mind still exists, somehow." Anya said when Crado seemed unable to speak. "We just talked to Granli Solinus. She is somewhere dark and cold, terrified."

"That is..." The reaperized turian shook her head. "That is not supposed to be possible. The uncoordinate data is large in volume, but..." She sounded confused. "That should not be possible."

"I don't know." Anya said softly. "I think the limits of what is possible and impossible took a drive off a short pier a while back when the Crucible fired." Anya looked at her husband. "Crado?"

"It sounded like her." The turian make was shivering a bit. "She was scared out of her mind. But how? How could she still exist? The...body you are in does not have the storage space for such large amounts of data, does it?"

"It...does..." The marauder said uneasily. "It did not before this one traveled here. Obligatha asked to scan this one and work on this one's form during transit, this one did not argue. The downtime was restful." The female turian's tone was almost wistful. She looked at Anya and scowled. "Your blood pressure is rising." She rose from Crado's embrace and strode towards the bed. Anya shook her head.

"Wait... before you put me out... Crado...?" She nodded to her husband. "Talk to C and Obligatha. If Granli _is_ still inside there, we need to get her out before she goes mad." She nodded to the marauder. "Talk to them, see if they can help." Granli put her hands alongside Anya's head and Anya sank into slumber.

"I don't understand." Crado said from his spot. "If she is dead, how did we just talk to her?"

"This one does not know." Granli replied softly. "But Anya Solinus' advice may bear fruit. You and this one should speak to the rachni and to Obligatha, Crado Solinus. But we need to set a monitor for Anya Solinus as well. She should sleep for several hours, but her condition defies accurate predictions."

"I will watch her." Granli recoiled slightly as a hologram appeared in the middle of the room. "Hello Crado."

"Lipa..." Crado groaned. "You truly enjoy popping in and startling people, don't you?"

"Yes." The ghostly prothean said without the hint of a smile. "But not for much longer. Scholar has my body nearly repaired, and then Obligatha can move me back in fairly easily. C-Flat Viridian is in the main medical ward, Kai has woken and can translate."

"Good." Crado laid a hand on his wife's still right hand for a moment and then bowed his head. "Rest well, mi amor." He said with a sad smile as he started for the door. Granli looked from him to the hologram, to Anya and back. "She will be a good minder." Crado reassured the marauder. "She is one of Anya's offspring."

"Off...spring...?" Granli asked, dumbfounded. "A prothean child of a human mother?" She shook her head. "This one is _very_ confused."

"It's complicated." Lipa said with a smile. "But yes. We love our Madre. We will not allow her to come to harm. We will not allow her to harm herself trying to do too much too quickly. I can't access the med systems myself, but I _can_ notify Mika who _can_. And I can call if she needs help."

"Come on, Granli..." Crado said with a sigh. "Let's go talk to the docs..."

**A few minutes later**

"This one is not sure about this." The marauder said with a shudder as she sat in the exam chair she had been directed to. "This one is uncomfortable." She did not move, the odd helmet that encased her head limited her movement a great deal. "The sensations are...unpleasant."

"We need to find out _what_ caused the episode that Mika recorded." Scholar said quietly from his bank of controls. "The feelings should subside quickly, the software is accessing your main systems, but only to scan, nothing more." He reassured her as she gasped in fear.

"This one's systems are all that this one is." The marauder said plaintively. "This one is afraid."

"We won't let anything happen to you." Crado said, taking her hand in his. He sat next to her, in a regular chair. "Obligatha?"

"The readings are...similar to what we scanned during her journey." Obligatha had been called in on this, as the resident expert on reaper transformations. Since it _was_ one... "But not the same. The uncoordinate data that was reported is present. It was not before." Obligatha sounded unsure. "There is a great deal of data. Approximately 10 of your terabytes worth of data." Scholar stiffened and Obligatha made a noise of worry. "We know."

"What does that mean?" The marauder asked, her tone hovering somewhere between fear and terror.

"Granli Solinus still exists." Scholar said slowly. "Somehow. A sentient collects approximately 13 terabytes worth of data in a lifetime's worth of experiences. Granli was young, for a turian, yes?" He asked Crado, who winced.

"Yes." Crado said softly. "She was a year younger than me. She would be thirty four now."

"Ah..." Scholar said into the heavy silence that fell. "Obligatha, can you...remove the data safely?"

"No." The reaper said sorrowfully. "It is bound up in Granli's mind. Even sequestered, we cannot remove it without causing harm. We... We apologize. We had no idea."

"You sent this one to help Anya Solinus." Granli said softly.

"Yes." Obligatha said sadly. "We also hoped that getting some closure would help Crado Solinus as well." Crado jerked and Obligatha made a sighing sound. "You have improved, but you still need help, Crado Solinus. We hoped to help. Instead we caused pain."

"Not your fault, Obligatha." Crado said quickly. "Nor yours, Granli. Could C-Flat Viridian do something?" He asked other occupant of the room. Kai shook her head.

"No." The human female said sadly. "She wants to help, but this isn't something she is equipped for. If Granli were trapped in an _organic_ mind... She could do something. But not a computer."

"Wait..." Crado said slowly. "What if... she were in _mine_?" Kai stiffened and her tone turned hard.

"Don't even _think_ about it." Kai snapped. "Do you have _any_ idea what Anya would do to me if I let your mind get fried?"

"Anya would understand." Cradosaid in a whisper soft tone. "Let me see..." He laid a hand on the helmet that encased Granli's head and she recoiled as far as she could.

"_No!_" She screamed. "Crado Solinus, _No!_ You do not know what you are doing! No! Don't...!" A pulse of energy snapped form her, throwing him back, but then...

"What the...?" Kai snapped as the world around her suddenly changed.

The examination room that the four of them had occupied was gone. She, Scholar, Crado and the marauder stood on a featureless plain. But it was only featureless for a moment. In seconds, it changed again, this time to an endless vista of geometric shapes. She looked around in wonder, they stood on a square that seemed to be composed of green energy.

"You _idiot!_" Scholar snapped at Crado. "Do you have _any_ idea what you have done?"

"What?" Crado asked as the marauder collapsed in a heap, keening. "What happened?" He knelt beside her, holding her as she heaved.

"We are in the Reaper, aren't we?" Kai asked, her tone worried. "Obligatha?" She called.

"We are here. You are safe." A deep voice sounded from nearby and a huge form composed of energy appeared suspended in mid-air. It changed from a reaper form to a large insectoid shape. Obligatha's voice was sour. "That was dumb, Crado Solinus."

"Our bodies..." Kai said, her tone worried. "I can' t hear C-Flat Viridian...!" She said, her tone turning scared. "What happened?"

"It's okay, Kai." Obligatha said kindly. "It has only been a few milliseconds in the real world. You are in no danger, I have informed her of the situation. She is...upset, but is waiting to hear back from me. Easy, Kai. It's okay." She soothed the now shaking human.

"So... quiet..." Kai said forlornly. "So... alone..." She collapsed to her knees, holding her head. "Bring it back! Please... I need to hear it!"

"Oh my god!" Scholar was on his keens beside her in a heartbeat, holding her. "Kai! Focus! You are not alone!"

"What is wrong with her?" Crado demanded.

"Part of her mind is inextricably bound to C-Flat Viridian's. She cannot survive long without the connection." Obligatha said, it's tone concerned. "We cannot help her."

"This one can." The marauder said, rising. She strode to where Kai was shaking now, knelt down and laid both hands on either side of the human's head. "Hear this one, Kai Sister of Anya..." Something poured from the turian's hands and Kai stiffened as music sounded. Kai gasped and then smiled.

"It's not... her, but I am not alone..." She said, relaxing. "I didn't know all of what I was hearing until it vanished." She looked up into the mechanical eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Granli said with a smile. "But you cannot remain here, you need to go back." The mechanical turian looked at Scholar and then at Obligatha. "Get her back? Quickly. I cannot hold her for long. She will acclimatize to the music, become desensitized to it. If that happens..."

"I die." Kai said soberly. Obligatha reached out with a holographic claw and Kai took it on both her hands. They both vanished. Scholar rounded on Crado again.

"What were you thinking?" Scholar snapped at Crado. "_Were_ you thinking?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Crado said half heartedly. "Pull Granli's mind into mine, then let C-Flat Viridian do her thing."

"It would not have worked, Crado Solinus." The marauder said with a sigh. "But..." She paused. Then, unaccountably, she smiled. "Someone wants to talk to you..." Everything seemed to stop as another form appeared nearby. Another turian female, but _this_ one... This one was unmarred. Her face was devoid of mechanical devices and her eyes lit on Crado. Then they flashed angrily.

"_Crado!_" She snapped. "What were you _thinking?_" She demanded, stalking up to him.

"Granli..." Crado said, holding his ground. "I... I dunno... I..." He shook his head. "You called for help, and I..." He stammered to a halt. Then his voice turned small. "No excuse, Ma'am..." She slapped him lightly and then smiled a bit forlornly.

"No, there isn't." Granli Solinus -this had to be her- said in a milder tone. "This is another fine mess you have gotten us into, you Amiger nutcase."

"It _is_ you." Crado said slowly. "Granli...!" He said, sobbing as he embraced her.

"Ah, Crado..." Granli said softly, holding him as he wept. "It's okay. This is not really me. This is the last vestiges of my mind. I am gone. You have to let me go, Crado."

"I..." The big turian wept openly now. "I can't. I wasn't there for you, for the kids..."

"Oh Crado..." Granli said sadly. "We _chose_ the path we walked. We could have gone elsewhere, to another unit. The base was being evacuated, we _chose_ to hold the line we did, to hold off the Reapers while the school and hospital were evacced. We knew we couldn't win, that we wouldn't get away afterward. We were too far in. So, run and die, or fight? What would _you_ have done?" She demanded when he made a sad sound though his tears.

"Same thing." Crado said sadly. He sighed. "I can't let go, Granli. I can't... I wasn't there for you..."

"Crado." Granli said sadly. "If you _had_ been there, you would have died along side us, or turned been into a marauder. The _only_ thing that kept us going was that we knew you were alive." Crado stiffened and Granli continued, her voice turning whisper soft. "We had word that your brigade was wiped out, right before the reapers hit Palaven. But they said _you_ survived. It was wrong of me to feel the way I did, but I was so happy to hear you survived. It gave us hope." Crado made a strained noise of despair and Granli hugged him tight. "Crado, you have got to let me go."

"I... I can't..." The male turian said, hugging her tighter.

"You brave, stubborn idiot..." Granli said with a sigh. "Anya needs you, now more than ever. Will you leave _her_ alone?"

"Wha-?" Crado asked, unsure. "How do you know about that?"

"Time passes differently here, Crado." Granli said with a smile. "In your bodies, it has been a few minutes since I yelled for help, but... It's has been awhile for me since I woke up, scared, in the dark, alone. She was kind and patient." Granli said with a sad smile. "I was... a mess..."

"Who?" Crado asked, unsure.

"That would be me." A new voice sounded as two female human forma appeared nearby. Anya still wore her patient gown, and she was obviously staggering, so the other female human was holding her up. The red haired human wore familiar armor and had the most piercing green eyes and Crado exhaled sharply as he recognized her. "What's the matter Crado?" Jane Shepard asked caustically. "Never seen a ghost before?"

"Ah..." Crado shook his head, closing his eyes, but when he opened them the female in armor was still standing there, a wide grin on her face.

"In a history of stupid male displays, Crado Solinus..." Jane Shepard said sourly. "_That_ had to be high on the list of stupid."

"If it's stupid and it works..." Anya said with a smile, but sagged a bit. "It's not stupid..."

"Don't you quote Murphy's Law of Combat at me, Anya." Jane said with a scowl that was utterly spoiled by the twinkle in her eyes. Then she sobered. "Don't push yourself. This is a representation of your mind, Anya. You _can_ hurt yourself further here."

"This one will aid." The marauder said quietly, moving to take Anya from Shepard who nodded. "This one will attempt to keep her calm. Of course, this one is not practiced in miracles."

"A marauder making a joke." Commander Shepard said with a grin. "Now I _have_ heard everything."

"How?" Crado asked slowly. "I mean...if YOU are not gone, then... is she?" He indicated Granli with a twitch of his mandibles.

"I don't know." The first human Spectre said with a sigh. "Things are a lot more complicated now, Crado. No matter what, Obligatha wanted to help. Do not blame it if this turns out bad." She said sternly. "See you around." Then she vanished. Scholar smiled and vanished as well.

"I won't." Crado said slowly to the empty air where Shepard had been as he straightened. "We need to talk..." He indicated the two female turians and Anya.

"No." The mechanical turian said slowly. "_You_ need to talk." Crado blinked, confused, but Anya stiffened.

"Don't..." Anya said slowly. "We can work this out."

"This one is a monster, Anya Solinus." The mechanical turian said sadly. "This one was created to help _make_ monsters. To aid in Indoctrination, to soothe turians while they changed into marauders. This one has hurt thousands of sentients. This one has watched thousands of sentients become mindless pawns while this one remained mostly whole. They used this one to change others..." She was crying now, tears leaking around the mechanical eyes. "This one is a monster."

"You were different." Anya said slowly. "An experiment, or a failed change?"

"Both." Obligatha's glowing form appeared nearby. "Her injuries were severe enough to require substantial rebuilding. But she was not totally changed when the nanites were introduced. They kept her to determine why, and used her as they used everything. Mercilessly."

"So... my memories..." Granli said slowly.

"Were stored." Obligatha said sadly. "The data that comprised your memories was placed in deep storage in the body. There is some fragmentation, but you are almost completely intact."

"But... I..." Granli stammered. "I died. My kids... They died... I... I can't..." The marauder smiled at her and Granli paused. "What?"

"Live long and well, sister. Love for both of us." The marauder was suddenly in motion, grappling Granli and pulling her close. Granli yelled in shock and fear, but...

"Granli!" Crado yelled, but then stopped as the two forms...merged. A brilliant pulse of light blinded everyone for a moment and when they could see again, a single form stood where two had been. In form, it was the marauder, but...

"Crado...?" The voice of Granli Solinus came from it, a normal turian voice! Albeit a terrified one.

"Granli?" Crado asked, worried. "What happend?"

"She..." Granli shook her head, her mechanical eyes dimming. "She merged with me. I remember... Spirits! I remember! She shielded me. She took me, protected me! She held me safe while they hurt her!" She collapsed into a heap, crying. "_No!_ No! She can't! She couldn't go! She couldn't leave me!"

"She protected you?" Anya asked, unsure, coming to sit beside the crying female turian.

"I don't know how." Granli said through her tears. "I woke up on a table. Everything hurt. But she was there. In my mind. She said I had to hide, that she would help. That she loved me and she would help. She made me forget. Why...?" She asked Anya, plaintively.

"I don't know." Anya said sadly as she embraced Granli. "Obligatha?"

"We can hypothesize." The Reaper said in a sad voice. "If her brain was injured as badly as records suggest, she may have developed a split personality. One that the Indoctrination subjugated and one that was shielded from it. She would have been difficult to control, hence the curiosity from the controllers."

"She sacrificed herself. Her entire being..." Granli sobbed. "For me? I was _dead_. Why?" She asked, hugging Anya tight.

"Now you are not." Obligatha said into the silence. "You three have _much_ to discuss, but you should do it in the real world. At least _now_ we know how to do it. It will be swift." Anya nodded, took Crado's hands in hers and laid her head on Granli's shoulder. The world fell away.


	64. Chapter 64

"I cannot believe..." Granli was shaking hard as she sat beside Anya's bed. "This body... I..." Anya gave the hand that was lying on her bed a squeeze.

"It's all right, Granli." Anya said in a gentle voice. "It will be all right."

"You don't know that." The female turian said with a shake of her head. "I mean... Everything is different. I... You and Crado... I..." She shook her head. "I wish _she_ had remained, not me."

"You don't mean that." Anya said softly. "Your grief and rage are talking. Not you. Is he still asleep?" They both looked to where Crado was lying on the other bed, deeply asleep. He had been nearly hysterical, so with Raan'ita's approval, Granli had knocked him out.

"He will be for some time, he is a mess." Granli said sadly. "Almost as much a mess as I am."

"You watched your children die." Anya said in a whisper soft voice. "How together or sane can you _be_?" She demanded.

"You lost yours." Granli retorted quietly. "When Cerberus captured you."

"My mother killed my child, yes. But I was asleep when she did it." Anya said, her breath catching in remembered grief. This time, Granli squeezed her hand. "Scholar has cloned an embryo, made it from my DNA and Crado's." Anya paused as Granli inhaled. "And before you ask, the Council knows and didn't say 'no'."

"I am happy for you." Granli said with a small smile. "You and he deserve _some_ happiness."

"So do you." Anya smiled in return. But then her gaze turned hard. "You are _not_ leaving." Granli stared at the human's rock solid declaration.

"Anya... I..." Granli began, but Anya cut her off.

"Granli, you were his mate. He loves you." Anya said slowly. "I love him and have mated him according to turian custom. But _nothing_ that I have seen in turian law says that a male can only have one spouse."

"No." Granli said after a moment's thought. "But it is supposed to be a meeting of equals. Look at me, Anya! What kind of a spouse would I make?" She asked, waving a hand at her face, her mechanical eyes focusing on Anya's face.

"Granli..." Anya said slowly. "I was built to be the trigger for a doomsday machine." Granli stared at Anya and the human woman sighed. "My parents blended their DNA, manipulated it with care and precision to make me what I am. I was built to destroy. They _thought_ they were going to use me to control all synthetics, but instead, the machine I am a key for will explode." Anya said sourly. "So I _understand_ about being a thing." She grasped Granli's hands in her own. "You are _not_ a thing to us." She winced a little and Granli looked at the monitors around Anya before she sighed.

"Anya." Granli gave her hands another squeeze. "Calm down." She said gently. "Please?"

"Right..." Anya sighed, closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She slumped back into her bed and spoke without opening her eyes. "I love Crado. He loves you." She said in a calm, even voice. "Give me a chance? Please?"

"I don't see how it would work." Granli said soberly. "I can't ever have children again."

"Neither can I." Anya said sadly. Granli stared at her, horror etched all over the parts of her face that were not mechanical, but Anya wasn't done. "But that is not stopping me. And..." She made a face. "I am going to need help." She admitted. "Even if Scholar and C-Flat Viridian _can_ help me, fix the damage my brain took, I am _never_ going to be physically as strong as I was." Granli stared at her and Anya sighed. "I am not stupid, Granli. I have seen the scans Raan'ita and the other docs did of me. I am not a doc by trade, but I have learned a bit. My birth mother hurt me _very_ badly, then Obligatha hurt me, saving everything in this system." She bowed her head. "I don't blame Obligatha. I have nothing but gratitude for it."

"Anya..." Granli was nearly in tears. "I..."

"Granli..." Anya said soberly. "I am going to tell you something I read in a book a long time ago. It fits. Love is not a cup. It cannot be emptied, it cannot run out. I don't know you, but I would like to."

"Anya." Granli protested. "I am a marauder!"

"No, you are _not_." Anya said sharply, but subsided when Granli glared at her. "You are a survivor. Like me. You have had _horrible_ things done to you, like me. You have endured the ultimate horror a mother can face, the loss of your children, like me. And you are still alive. Where there is life, there is hope. Please. Give us a chance." Anya begged. "Please?"

"Oh Anya." Granli said, bowing her head. "I can see why Crado was drawn to you. You believe and you allow everyone else to feel your belief, to share it." She slumped a bit and then sighed. "I will remain until you are healed enough to be mobile again, Anya. After that? We shall see."

"That is all I ask." Anya said, subsiding. "You met Kai. You haven't met Melissa, Jenni or Portia, my other siblings. Well..." Anya scowled. "Portia was created from my DNA to be my replacement after I was listed as Killed In Action during the war." Granli looked at her and Anya nodded. "She is my sister, but also my daughter." Anya said whimsically. "I know it's weird."

"Why do I get the feeling that is going to be the main descriptor of our time together?" Granli asked sourly. "Weird."

"Because it's true?" Anya asked with a smile that faded. "Granli, I am fading. I don't think you are going to have to knock me out this time."

"Any pain or dizziness?" Granli asked, her tone professional.

"No." Anya said after a moment's thought. "Some discomfort, but no pain. And no dizziness. Just a feeling of needing sleep. It's just..." She shook her head. "Portia has been sleeping with me. She is a mess, despite everything C could do. Her nightmares are less when she is with me." Granli looked at Anya and then smiled.

"You will make a _wonderful_ parent, Anya." Granli said with a sad laugh. "Of course, you are already a parent of sorts."

"Yeah." Anya said with a fond smile of remembrance. "Taking care of the young protheans kept me sane while I healed. It was...a lot of work. I could use your help, Granli. And if Scholar, Raan'ita and Obligatha _can_ reverse your transformation..."

"The odds are not good, Anya." Granli said gently. "Obligatha puts it at 7,643,302 to one against the reversal working. I am stuck like this."

"Never tell me the odds." Anya said with a wicked smile that had Granli sputtering. Then she gave Granli's hand another squeeze. "Anything we _can_ do safely we will." Then she paused and looked Ganli in the eyes and spoke a phrase carefully in the turian language. Sister-wife. Granli recoiled slightly, but Anya did not let her hand go.

"Anya... I..." The marauder form stammered.

"You are part of our family, Granli."Anya said slowly, her eyes starting to droop. "Now and always." She sighed and her body relaxed slowly. "Portia is coming."

"How do you know?" Granli asked, than then made a noise of understanding. "Oh, through the network you share."

"She is worried, but curious." Anya said with a smile. "She didn't fight in the war, Granli. She doesn't have the bone deep fear of that form that many of the rest of us do. But... um..."

"If she has no fear..." Granli said dubiously. "Does she have _sense_?" Anya looked at her and Granli made a groaning noise. "Oh dear..."

"She is a good kid and... She is here." Anya smiled as the door chimed. "Enter." She called. The door hissed open and a small form in white entered the room hesitantly.

"Anya?" Her youngest sibling asked softly. "You okay? Scholar said there was more weirdness."

"There was." Anya said sourly. "Crado did something totally in character."

"Totally dumb." Granli agreed with a grin. Portia looked at the marauder, but her eyes were speculative instead of fearful.

"Portia, meet Granli Solinus." Anya said softly. "Crado's mate." Portia's eyes went wide at that, but before she could speak, Anya cut her off. "We are okay. We are going to figure out how to do this, but she and I have decided to try together. Right, Granli?"

"Right." Granli said with a nod. "I am pleased to meet you, Portia."

"I am pleased to meet you too, Granli Solinus." Portia replied courteously. "How are you doing, Anya? You missed our last movie night." Disapproval sang in her tone although she tried to hide it.

"I am a little under the weather, Portia." Anya said with a sigh. Then she blanched. "Suddenly... dizzy..." Granli was at her side in an instant, perusing the readouts. Portia stayed where she was.

"It's okay, Anya." Granli said after a moment. "Your electrolytes are out of balance. The machinery will fix that, but you _do_ need sleep."

"I am scared of what I am going to dream tonight." Anya admitted as she burrowed into her pillow.

"If your nightmares have any sense whatsoever..." Granli said softly, her hand caressing Anya's forehead. "They will flee from me."

"P...Portia..." Anya said, her eyes watering.

"I am here, Anya." Portia said, coming close.

"She won't hurt you or me. She helps." Anya said, her breath starting to come in gasps.

"Time to sleep, Anya." Granli said with a sigh and laid her palm against the side of Anya's head. Anya smiled and closed her eyes. In moments she was deeply asleep. The marauder looked at Portia who stared, uncertain. "I can hold your dreams at bay as well, young one."

"You _can_?" Portia asked carefully.

"I can. It is a matter of fine tuning EM fields." Granli said with a nod. "The...personality that inhabited this form, hiding my mind in her own, did that a lot for the Reapers who she called 'master'. I can do it. I have her memories."

"Is she still...there?" Portia was curious.

"No." Granli said with a sad sigh. "She merged with me. I think... I think my mind split into pieces when I was injured and captured during the war. And my mind repaired itself and the pieces came back together. I remember what she did and why. But the horrors she endured are lesser. Faint memories that I hope will fade in time." She patted the bed beside Anya. "Up you get."

"Um..." Portia looked at the reaperized turian, her expression concerned. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't." Granli said with a nod of approval. "You can't. Anything I say _could_ be a lie." She bowed her head. "But I _do_ love Crado and Anya loves him too. She has offered me a place here, a chance at her heart as well. I am not worthy of that. But I will try to _be_ worthy of that."

"I am not really sleepy." Portia said sadly. "But staying with Anya helps her and me." She clambered up on the bed and lay down beside her sister.

"Well..." Granli said soberly. "Knocking you out when you are not hurt or sleepy is rude. So..." Her mandibles move in what was obviously thought. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"A story?" Portia asked slowly. "What kind of story?"

"Ah, the usual kind of turian story." Granli said with a grin. "Duty, honor, loyalty, all that kind of thing. I don't know if it is all true. It's been told for so many centuries that it has likely become more myth than fact, but it _is_ known that the people who are in the story actually existed."

"I would like to hear it." Portia said with a sigh as she snuggled closer to Anya, whose hands moved slowly to embrace her. Not clinging, just there. Granli stared at her and Portia smiled. "It happens, and I don't mind. It relaxes her. I think... Her subconscious thinks I am her kid."

"She told me a little about you. Technically you _are_." Granli said with a smile. "If you were made from her DNA, you _are_ her kid."

"She is a _lot_ nicer than the woman who called herself my mother." Portia said with a frown. "I have so much to learn, so much to make up for..."

"How old are you, Portia?" Granli asked kindly.

"I am nine." Portia replied. "But I feel a hundred sometimes."

"You have had heavy burdens placed on you, child." Granli said with a sad smile. "But for tonight, you have no need to fear. You and your sister are in my care, and I will allow no harm to come to you. You can be a nine year old. If it _is_ only for the night, then that is still a night. Relax." She said kindly. "Let me tell you a story about a young female named Paksi. She was the third daughter of a male who raised pktri."

"Pktri?" Portia asked softly.

"Um..." Granli paused. "I think... Sheep would be the right human animal. Not that I have ever seen a sheep. But like what I have heard of human sheep, the animals were raised for their wool, which was sold. The Pktri are all gone now, they went extinct during the Unification Wars."

"That was thousands of years ago." Portia said with wide eyes. "Right?"

"Yes." Granli said with a nod. "A bad time. But we got through it. Thanks in no small part to heroes like Paksi. She was... a handful by all accounts. Her father was a very traditional sort and wanted her to marry, to raise a family. She wanted to fight, to have glorious adventures." Her sour tone brought a smile to Portia's face. "Ah,..." Granli said with a grin. "You have 'adventures' of your own."

"Yeah." Potia said with a scowl. "Most people I have talked to since Anya came have told me the same thing. Adventures are fine when you are reading about them, or hearing about them. But _doing_ them? Not so fine."

"No." Granli said with a smile. "But to continue the story... It came to a head one day. Paksi's father had betrothed her without her knowledge and she...did not take it well..."

**Two hours later**

"So... She suffered." Portia said softly, her eyes streaming. "She nearly _died_, to bring the lost king home?"

"It was her duty." Granli said with a nod. "The system of merit that was put into place after the Unification Wars helped to curb misrule, but before then... We had beings who were trained to lead, and beings who were trained to follow orders. When the leaders either wouldn't or couldn't lead... We had problems."

"You said this really happened?" Portia asked. "The wounds healing instantly, glowing light? All that?"

"I don't know." Granli said with a sigh. "I doubt the magical parts of it personally. We lost so much history during and after the Unification Wars that we really don't know. But we _do_ know a great general named Paksi did live. She was a canny tactician, and a great fighter. But...Not such a great diplomat." She bowed her head sadly.

"What happened to her?" Portia asked slowly. "Or do I want to know?"

"We do know some of the history. She made a _lot_ of enemies." Granli said sadly. "She always focused on battle and her allies...well..." Granli sighed deeply. "She was betrayed, captured and sold into slavery. She died alone in some slave mine before her compatriots could rescue her. They... were incensed. They joined the king's forces and fought for the rest of their lives to unite the disparate clans under one banner. From them, we all descend, every turian who has lived since the Unification Wars owes them a debt of honor."

"What a horrid fate." Portia said slowly. "Well..." She sighed. "At least her enemies didn't burn her at the stake like Jean De 'Arc."

"Ugh." Granli said with feeling. "Indeed. But she _does_ epitomize a number of values that turian society holds dear to this day. So the 'Deed of Paksi' is a tale that we tell our children. She did what had to be done. And...even with how it turned out, I don't think she would have chosen anything else. Do you?"

"No." Portia said, yawning. "I am sleepy now. Good night." She laid her head down and curled up beside Anya.

"I will make your sleep easy, Portia." Granli said, laying her hand against Portia's skull. The girl smiled and then was asleep. "Rest well, child." The marauder said sadly as she sat by the bed. She sat back and smiled as she watched Portia fall asleep. Then she sighed. Marauders did not need sleep. So instead, she started thinking about the future. She had a lot to think about so it was no surprise she was started when Portia whimpered.

A quick check of the chrono showed that Portia had been asleep for two hours. A quick scan of the monitors showed Anya sleeping easily, but Portia...

"Oh child..." Granli said sadly as she eased Anya's hands away from the still whimpering girl. "It's okay... It's okay. Shhh..." She soothed Portia back into slumber with gentle crooning and a well modulated EM pulse that wouldn't put the girl out completely, just calm her. Then she sighed inaudibly, focused her mind and opened a connection to the nearby computer systems. Someone had told her that there was a woman monitoring, a woman connected to computers or something.

{Um... help?} She asked. An answer came immediately.

{What is wrong, Ma'am?} A worried female voice sounded.

{Portia apparently had a dream. I was monitoring for nightmares, there were no signs of stress.} Granli said as she slowly and carefully lifted the sleeping girl, careful not to touch the wetness on the girl's clothes. At least it hadn't touched the bed. {She lost control of her bladder.}

{She wet the bed? Oh...} The voice of the other female was stunned, and then it turned sad. {Poor kid. Can you clean her up?}

{It didn't get on the bed. I can clean her up, but I need to monitor Anya as well.} Granli said, her mental tone worried as she looked at Anya. {She is asleep, but...}

{I will monitor, take care of Portia.} The other woman's voice was gentle. {I may not be able to physically touch anyone, but I can keep an eye on Anya. Is Portia okay?}

{She is still asleep.} Granli said sadly. {I don't scan any abnormalities. I will need to wake her up to clean her and change her clothes, but... I shouldn't do that in here.} She stiffened as a door nearby hissed open.

{Bathroom through there. It is monitored, but has sound baffles that I just activated so Anya won't be bothered even if Portia wakes up screaming.} The other female said quietly. {I will send someone with a change of clothes for Portia.}

{Right.} Granli said as she rose to her feet, Portia cradled in her arms. {Thank you, Ma'am.}

{Call me Mika.} The voice said kindly. {Are you going to be okay?}

{I _had_ kids.} Granli said with a smile that faded as she stepped into the bathroom. The door hissed shut behind her and she sighed. "Portia?" She asked carefully. "Come on, girl, wake up."

"Granli?" Portia asked, confused. Then she stiffened as she realized where she was and in what condition. "I dreamed I was on the toilet- Oh no..." Portia sagged in Granli's arms. "No..." Humiliation sang through her but Granli just sighed.

"It's all right, Portia." Granli said with a commiserating smile. "I had those dreams for a long time too. This body may not need to excrete anymore, but I _do_ remember the 'oopsie' moments." She said, stroking Portia's hair to keep the girl calm. "After _everything_ you have gone through, this is the least of our concerns. Come on, you will want a shower and then a change of clothes before you go back to bed."

"But if I wet the bed..." Portia stammered as Granli set her on her feet. She broke off with a squeak as Granli tapped her nose.

"You didn't." Granli said with a sigh. "You made a mess of yourself and your clothes, but nothing touched the bed. I checked." She reassured the slumped girl. "I have more clothes coming, now go get clean." She gave Portia a gentle push towards the shower and waited while Portia worked her way through her conflicting emotions.

"If I balk, you would give me a sponge bath, wouldn't you?" Portia asked, a touch of whimsy in her eyes.

"Try me." Granli said with a grin.

"Ah..." Portia looked at the marauder and a smile slowly crept across her face. "No."

"Good girl." Granli said with a matching grin. "Go on, I will be here. Mika is watching Anya." She stiffened as Portia darted to her and embraced her, sobbing. Granli paused, confused, and then returned the embrace."Hey. It's okay..."

"You look scary, but you are nice." Portia said through her sobs. "Why couldn't my _real_ mother have been like you or Anya?" She asked.

"We play the hand we are dealt, Portia. No one ever said life was going to be fair, but we _will_ make it better for you." Granli said as she stroked the girl's hair some more. "Come on, you need to get clean and then sleep some more."

"Thank you." Portia said as she released Granli and started for the shower stall. "Uh..." She paused, a flush creeping over her face.

"No need for embarrassment. I _was_ a parent, Portia." Granli said quietly. "Then I was a Reaper minion working in a processing center. I never saw humans, but I _doubt_ they are but _so_ different. I won't watch, but I am not leaving you alone. Go." She commanded and turned her back on the stunned girl. "Get clean, the night is wasting. You need more sleep."

"You are a tyrant." Portia complained whimsically. "You are going to fit _right_ in around here..."

* * *

**Kudos to anyone who can guess where I got the story from.**


	65. Chapter 65

"So..." Anya said as she squirmed a bit. The docs wouldn't let her out of the bed, so the meeting was being held in her room. "Here we are."

She looked around at her siblings. Everyone but her was seated. Kai was aloof, as always. Jennifer and Melissa sat together, near the door, wary of the marauder that sat beside Anya's bed, Crado sitting between them. And both were _very_ wary of the fact that Portia was sitting in the marauder's lap and had been since they arrived.

"Portia." Granli said softly. "You need to sit with your sisters."

"No." Portia said quietly, not arguing, but firm. "I need to sit with you. You are _not_ like the ones they fought during the war."

"Portia..." Granli said sourly, only to groan as the girl made a face and hugged her tight. "Is she _always_ like this?" She asked the room sourly.

"Pretty much, yeah." Kai said with a nod. Something that might have been a smile flitted across her face and was gone. "Be careful, she will roll right over you, given half the chance."

"Why does that _not_ surprise me?" Granli asked as she shook her head and then sighed. "Anya, you called us all here."

"I did." Anya said with a smile that faded. "Portia." She said sternly and the girl released the marauder and rose. Her face was truculent, but she nodded and walked to where another chair had been set up beside Melissa. She sat, but her eyes did not leave the marauder. "Some of you have met her, but I want to do this formally. This is Granli Solinus." She waved the hand that was not festooned with IVs and monitor lines at the marauder and smiled. "She was Crado's mate before the Reapers came. We all thought she had died. She didn't."

"Technically, I _did_, Anya." Granli protested mildly. Anya looked at her and she shrugged. "My mind was sequestered and this body was reformed for the use of the Reapers. Let's keep to the facts as we know them, not suppositions. This going to be hard enough for people to accept as it is."

"Okay, okay, sheesh..." Anya said with a shudder.

"Reformed?" Jennifer asked softly, her gaze narrowing. Anya looked at Granli who swallowed and nodded.

"I was... badly hurt." Granli said slowly. "Records that Obligatha found show that I had several spinal fractures and massive cranial trauma. Multiple lesser injuries. I don't remember any of this. Apparently the injuries were enough to fracture my mind." She said soberly. "I am not a doc, not a shrink, but Doctor Raan'ita and Obligatha believe that my mind split into parts. One part, the larger, went to sleep. The other... The one you met, Miss Melissa..." She nodded to Melissa who just looked at her. "...was indoctrinated. But it... didn't _quite_ take..."

"I thought Indoctrination was all or nothing." Kai said in the silence that fell at the turian's words. "It should have subjugated you completely."

"It didn't. I don't know why." Granli said sadly. "I was very confused, but I _did_ still have some vestiges of free will. They used that, the reapers." Granli said sadly. "I have her memories of that time. The..other me." She swallowed heavily. "The things this body -I- did..."

"Granli, it wasn't you." Anya said softly reaching out to grasp the mechanized turian's limp hand. "You may have had some vestige of free will, but you had _no_ idea what was happening or why, did you?" She asked kindly.

"No." Granli said, her posture abject. Crado laid an arm around her and she leaned into his embrace. "I had a purpose, nothing else. They brought prisoners to me. I soothed them." She said softly. "Like I soothed you, Anya, and you, Portia. I made them sleep and they were changed..." She heaved in grief. "I watched while they became monstrous parodies of turians, while their minds were overwritten by Reaper code and I was _happy_. I was needed! I...did..." She broke off, overcome. "I didn't _care_ that those beings' minds were being destroyed. Despite everything that the Reapers and every doc has tried, I am the _only_ one of the marauders who has recovered her mind."

"So far." Anya said with a sigh. "Granli, don't give up hope. The docs have hope, and the Reapers are helping. They say that the information is stored in each marauder's body, but accessing it is proving incredibly difficult."

"I could translate for them. They could understand the turian's speech, but no one could understand _their's_. It was all machine code." Granli said softly. "I was... After the pulse hit, I was less... different. Similar to both the marauders and the unmodified turians. So... I started translating. Helping. That I spent the last decade, on Palaven." She bowed her head. "It wasn't..."

"One of the beings you tried to translate for shot you." Anya said quietly. Crado jerked, staring at Anya and then at Granli.

"He didn't know what he was doing!" Granli protested. "His cranial processors were shorting out. Those troops didn't _need_ to kill him!" She said softly. "I _could_ have stopped him."

"He shot you, and turned his weapon on a group of civilians nearby, Granli." Anya said in the horrified silence that fell. "Any soldier I know would have done the same thing." Crado nodded as well, his hands coming around to comfort the marauder. "Were you okay?"

"Moderate damage. The shot would have killed a regular turian." Granli said softly. "It damaged three of my thorax implants, but they self repaired in a few days. They didn't know what to do with me at the hospital. After that, the military always sent a guard with me." She said sourly. "I never convinced them not to."

"You were a valuable resource." Anya said with a shrug. "Of _course_ they were going to protect you. Then the translation programs you helped write were disseminated?"

"I didn't..." Granli started to protest and then paused as Anya glared at her. "How... How do you know about _that_? No one knows about that."

"Granli..." Anya said with a smile. "An anonymous donor '_gives_' the Citadel Council a translation program for talking to Reapers and their minions and they are _not_ going to investigate? You know better than that."

"I covered my tracks..." Granli said in a small voice. "I... I just wanted to help..."

"You did." Anya said with a grin. "They found out that a female marauder made the program and gave it to them. But trying to find _one_ female marauder on Palaven was...rough according to Councilor Sparatus. I spoke with him this morning, Granli."

"You did?" Granli asked, unsure.

"I did while you and Crado talked after he woke up." Anya said with a nod. "I had asked for a connection at his convenience. He called just after you went with Crado to get him breakfast."

"What did he say?" Crado asked, then snapped his mouth shut.

"He said that it is odd." Anya grinned. "But no odder than anything _else_ we have done. _And_... Its not illegal. So... Granli Solinus... Will you will allow me to marry you and Crado? To join your family?"

"Wait?" Granli actually recoiled, nearly falling out of her chair. "What?"

"Your mating predates mine." Anya said in a calm voice. "_You_ are the elder. Tell me to..." She swallowed heavily but continued. "...to leave and I will." Every eye in the room went wide at that. Crado made a strangled noise, but subsided when Anya glared at him.

"Anya..." Granli sounded in tears. "I could _never_ do that!"

"I am a mess." Anya said softly. "Broken merchandise. Not a great deal."

"I disagree." Granli said with a smile as she reached down and embraced Anya. "You are Anya Solinus. Now and Always. But... Do anything dumb and I may thump you, sister."

"You and what army?" Anya asked as she returned the embrace, tears falling. "Ah..." She paused as _everyone_ glowered at her. Then she was crying as both Crado and Granli hugged her. After a few moments, she relaxed and sighed.

"Family. That actually provides a good segue into something Melissa and I were talking about earlier." Jennifer said with a smile. "Anya, Crado... Granli..." She said with a nod to each. "Our...family proved how evil they were so we cast them away. We are all that we have now. And... I..." Jennifer broke off as Anya coughed.

"Granli?" Anya asked softly. "You are eldest."

"Oh no." Granli said with a snap. "_You_ are older than I am, girl. Step up." The marauder laughed as Anya stared at her. "I am thirty four, _you_ are thirty six. Do the math." Anya made a face, but Granli just smiled and squeezed the reclining human's hand. "No one will trust a Reaper minion, Anya. They _do_ trust you. You have my support, sister."

"Okay." Anya said, choking on a throat that was suddenly tight. "Kai, Jenni, Melissa, Portia?" She said softly, but clearly. "We have all been hurt. We have all been abused. We are all recovering. You are not alone, you do not have to _be_ alone. We..." She indicated Granli and Crado with her free hand and both nodded. "...would be honored to accept you into the Solinus Clan."

"But..." Portia stammered, looking at Kai who smiled.

"C-Flat Viridian already considers Anya family." Kai said with a grin. "She has no objections." She stepped forward "What do I do?"

"Formal?" Granli asked Anya softly.

"Let's keep it informal for now." Anya said with a wince. "We are a small clan as of now, but I expect that to change." She looked at Melissa and her gaze turned sly. "Isn't that right, Melissa?" Jennifer, Kai and Portia all looked at Melissa, who blushed and hung her head. "Hey..." Anya said hastily. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Melissa."

"Melissa?" Kai asked slowly. When Melissa did not look at her, she looked at Anya. "Something I should know?"

"I have been a nosy older sister." Anya said with a frown. "But it is _Melissa's_ business, not mine." She shook her head. "I am sorry, Melissa, I shouldn't have said anything." She said regretfully.

"I haven't..." Melissa spoke haltingly. "I mean... I am a mess." She bowed her head and shook it. "He just won't let up..." Anya's eyes went cold and Melissa hurried to speak some more. "No, no, not like that. He isn't pushing. He is just... Oh..." She groaned.

"He won't leave you to face the horrors you need to deal with alone." Anya said with a smile. "Sounds familiar." She said as she looked at Crado who nodded. "He asked Mika to listen in, Melissa." Anya said gently. Melissa jerked and stared at her elder sister. "To make sure he didn't hurt you. He admires you. And more." Anya said, her tone turning very gentle.

"I don't understand." Melissa said with a sigh. "I am _not_ interested. Not after..." She swallowed and paled a little.

"Melissa..." Anya said sternly. "Come here." She held out a hand and Melissa rose from her chair to slowly walk towards the bed. "Give me your hand." She asked gently. When Melissa did, Anya pulled it close, cradling it to her cheek. "He came by, after Sparatus called. Before Granli and Crado got back. He asked my permission. I didn't just tell him 'no', Melissa. I said '_Hell no_'. It is _not_ my place to say 'yay' or 'nay'." Melissa was shuddering and Anya pulled her into a weak hug. Granli scowled at the bedridden woman.

"Anya." The disapproval in the marauder's voice was patent. "Don't push too hard. Don't make me knock you out."

"She needs help, Granli." Anya said, holding her sister as Melissa started to cry. "Come here, Melissa." She pulled her unresisting sister onto the bed beside her. Melissa gave a small cry and the floodgates opened. She was crying hard as Anya held her. "Melissa, do you trust me?"

"I..." Melissa couldn't look at Anya, her face was a mass of tears now. "I dunno." She said in a small voice.

"You need help, Melissa." Anya said gently. "We have help coming. But..." She bit her lip and then sighed. "It's really none of my business, but he _does_ care for you."

"_He lied to me!_" Melissa snapped, then she froze. "I... No... I didn't mean that.. I..."

"Melissa, he lied to _everyone_." Anya said sadly. "He didn't enjoy it. It nearly tore him apart. I didn't trust him when I met him and I only knew him for a short time." Anya nodded to where her other three human sisters sat, silent. "Jennifer? You knew him for longer."

"He _is_ a good man, Melissa." Jennifer said softly. "All he wanted to do, ever, was to serve." She cast a sour look at Anya, one her older sister shared. "Sounds familiar."

"That it does." Anya said with matching sourness. Then her gaze turned tender as she looked at the crying woman in her arms. "Melissa, do you trust me?" She repeated.

"I..." Melissa slumped in place and her voice was very soft. "I do. You never put yourself first. Ever. Always others first. You crazy woman..."

"It's all right. We are here for you, Melissa." Anya said with a soft smile on her face as she rubbed Melissa's shoulders consolingly. "Do you know _why_ he and Vincent never went to the rec center?" Melissa stared at her sister, not comprehending. "Vincent was needed to play Jennifer's paramour. To keep mom and Dad from figuring out that Jennifer was A) Not 'cured' and B) not loyal. Chris told me there was another reason _he_ never went. Not in _ten_ years." Melissa stared at Anya and then at Jennifer when Jennifer coughed.

"He was ordered to stay in character, to keep his cover intact." Jennifer said sadly. "I had to literally sit on him a few times to keep him from going in there and _killing_ all the other men. And do you know why?" Melissa shook her head and Jennifer smiled sadly. "He was in love and the woman he loved was being abused and he couldn't do _anything_ about it. You were not the _only_ one violated by that nasty place." Jennifer said with a snarl. "Keeping him from doing something dumb ate a lot of my time. You _did_ wake up from the drugs in my lab with him tending you on occasion. Do you remember that? You hit him more than once, and he _never_ struck back."

"I... I remember. But..." Melissa shook her head, stunned. "I don't... I..." She broke off. "He betrayed us." Her voice was small.

"Did he?" Anya asked gently. "Or was he trying to help the only way he could? As I understand it, Cerberus was created to _defend_ humanity. Not control it, not use science in horrific means to try to gain more power for select members of humanity, but to defend it. The Illusive Man was insane or indoctrinated. Either way, Chris couldn't serve Cerberus _knowing_ that he was going have his free will removed and be ordered to do horrific things. I... I didn't trust him, after Benning. But he earned my trust."

"I don't..." Melissa paused, unsure. "Wait a minute. How did father and mother not identify him the moment they had him and Vincent there? His DNA _had_ to be on file."

"My fault. The files were not hard to get into. Especially for someone who was supposed to be a doc in charge of medical research. I had full access." Jennifer said with a grin. "And we had time to set up solid cover identities for both of them."

"You sneaky witch." Melissa started laughing, but then she was crying again. "Anya..." She said as she hugged her reclining sister again. "What do I do?"

"Talk to him." Anya said quietly, letting Melissa cry. "He asked _my_ permission to court you and I told him he had to talk to _you_. I am not doing _anything_ behind my sister's backs if I can help it." Anya paused and then sighed. "He is waiting to talk to you, Melissa." Melissa stiffened. "You are _not_ alone." Anya said fiercely enough that Granli scowled at her again.

"I am scared." Melissa said in a monotone.

"I know." Anya said sadly. "But I am here, Sis. It's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

"_We_." Granli said with a snarl that Crado matched. Melissa stared at the two turians and Granli nodded. "_We_ won't let anyone hurt you again, Sister Melissa." She reached out and took one of Melissa's hands and gave it a squeeze. She and Anya shared a glance and nodded in unison.

"Crado." Anya said softly. The male rose from his place and strode to the door. When he opened it an unarmored human male stood there, his face worried. "Come on in, Chris."

"I..." The former Cerberus and then Alliance operative started to say and then stiffened. "Melissa? Are you okay?"

"No." Melissa said slowly as she patted Anya's arm and rose from the bed. "No, I am not. I am stupid." She said with a sigh. "If I had paid attention, they wouldn't have _sent_ me to the rec center if I had a partner, would they?"

"I think they would have." Chris had rage for Melissa's sake burning deep in his voice. "It was all about control. I am sorry. I wanted to help, and I couldn't. For so many reasons." He slumped in place. "I am sorry, Melissa, I wanted to help and never did."

"You couldn't." Melissa said sadly. Her eyes lingered on the man and then she sighed. "So... What now?"

"I made something on my own time, in the machine shop." Chris said quietly. "A long time ago. Just after I met you actually. But there was never a good time, and I had to maintain my cover, and..." The man said softly. "You don't want me touching you and _believe_ me, I understand." He looked at Portia. "Can you take something to her for me?"

"Of course." Portia said with a sad smile. He handed her a small wooden box and she carried it gingerly to where Melissa stood, frozen. The girl reached out and pulled Melissa's hands up, placing the small box in them. Then she stood beside her sister, offering support.

"What is this?" Melissa asked softly. In form it was a small box made of wood, but it was intricately carved. It looked old.

"That box is all I have left of my family, Melissa." Chris said sadly. "They lived near Washington DC in North America on Earth. Most were gone before the Reapers hit, we were never a big family. The rest... Well..." He sighed. "Open it."

Melissa puzzled over the box for a moment before finding a recessed ledge and popping it open. When she did, she gasped. Gasps came from around the room as the others saw what was inside. Nestled on soft red velvet was a ring. It was made of some kind of silvery alloy that seemed to flash many colors in the light of the room. It was unmarked, had no stone, but it didn't need any. It was pure elegance in metal.

"I made that for you." Chris said softly. "I loved you from the moment I saw you. But I couldn't figure out how to ask, how to talk to you without breaking my cover. It drove me crazy enough that Jennifer was talking about having me extracted."

"You..." Melissa said slowly, dazed. "You loved me...? _Me?_"

"I did." Chris admitted. "I do. I want to help, and I can't." he sighed. "I don't blame you for hating me. For hating all males after what you went through."

"I don't hate all males." Melissa said, her face starting to show resolve. "I hate all _Cerberus_ males." She said with a hint of her old grin. "You... are not Cerberus, are you?"

"I..." Chris froze, not sure what to say or do. "No." He admitted. Then he stiffened as Melissa ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Whoa! Melissa! Careful!" He stood as if he didn't dare move.

"Help me, please?" She begged as she hugged him tight. "Please?" She begged as she hugged him tighter.

"Oof, Melissa..." Chris said as he adjusted her hold so it wasn't squeezing the breath out of him. Then his gaze turned tender. "I am not going anywhere, Melissa. Not without you." More than a few eyes in the room misted at his tone.

"I am a mess, Chris." Melissa said though her tears. "I don't know if I can come back from this."

"You can." He said gently. "You are strong. Stronger than the scum who hurt you. Stronger than the scum who made you. Far stronger than me. I will be here for you." He looked at Anya. "No matter what."

"Well, it's a good thing we don't mind." Anya said with a touch of whimsy. "Welcome to the family, Chris." Then her tone turned hard. "Hurt her and I _will_ kill you slowly." She warned. He nodded and she smiled. "Kai?"

"Try and pry me away." Kai said with a smile. "C-Flat Viridian says you need a minder and I am elected." She said with a sour look that was whimsical as well. Anya smiled.

"Silly bug. Portia, Jennifer?" Anya asked. Both of her other sisters smiled and nodded. "Welcome to the family, all of you. The Solinus clan will be here for you, will support you all. We are here for each other. We will likely not always agree on everything, we _are_ mortal after all. We will likely have some knock down, drag out fights." Anya said with a sigh. "But we are family."

"Family." Everyone chorused.


	66. Chapter 66

**The next day**

"Hey Anya." Anya looked up from her book and smiled as Raan'ita entered her room. "Ready to be released from my clutches?" The quarian asked with a grin.

"I don't know if I have said this enough, Raan'ita." Anya said, putting her reader tablet down. "Thank you. For everything." She said as the doctor came close, opened Anya's patient gown and started to unhook wires and tubes.

"Flattery won't get you out of here any faster, Anya." Raan'ita said with a glower that almost masked her smile. "And you _will_ be monitored at all times. You have a full medical staff now. Listen to them."

"You are leaving?" Anya asked, wincing slightly but not moving as Raan'ita pulled tubes from uncomfortable places in her body. The quarian nodded silently and Anya sighed. "I will miss you. Come back soon."

"As often as I can." Raan'ita promised as she closed up Anya's gown. "But the Merciful Flight is needed. Search and Rescue and on-site medical support is always a priority."

"You will always have a place at any table I set, Captain Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight." Anya said softly, tears welling. "I just hope the next time I see you, you don't have to put me back together."

"I will hold you to that." Raan'ita said with a smile that faltered. "Anya... I..." She paused as Anya made a 'shushing' motion.

"It is not your fault." Anya said sharply. "Nor your responsibility. My injuries were _none_ of your doing. The woman who caused them is dead and gone. Do _not_ blame yourself for not healing something that cannot be healed, Doctor." Anya bowed her head. "I am going to talk to the counselor that arrived this morning. It is time I stopped hating and got on with my life." She sat up slowly, aware of minor pains and ignoring them. She swung her legs off the bed and with Raan'ita's help, stood on her feet for the first time in two days. "You do good work, doc." Anya said with feeling as she took an experimental step. "No dizziness."

"If it comes back..." Raan'ita started, but then smiled. "I don't have to say it, do I?" Anya groaned halfheartedly.

"Not with Crado, Granli, Kai, -C!-, Jennifer, Melissa, Chris _and_ Portia _all_ watching me like hawks." Anya said with a sigh. "And everybody else watching me slightly less closely. I _wondered_ why all of them made themselves scarce. So you could say goodbye?"

"That is part of it." Raan'ita said softly, her eyes glistening as she embraced Anya. "My friend, my best human friend. I will miss you."

"Hey." Anya said as she returned the embrace, her eyes turning misty as well. "Don't get all sloppy on me. You are a bossy boss, a tyrant. It will be all right. I am not going to go out looking for fights anymore." She laughed a bit sadly. "I am not going to get shot up or torn up every week anymore."

"That is good." Raan'ita said with a frown as she looked Anya over. "Anya..." She said haltingly. "You know...?"

"I know I am never going to be as strong as I was." Anya said softly. "Scholar and C are working on therapies, but..." She shook her head. "Karinlina really had it in for me. The searing the implant gave my brain..." She raised a hand from holding Raan'ita and held it up. After a moment, it started to shake. Anya lowered it back to her side with a sigh. "My long term fine motor control is toast. It's not a matter of endurance, it's my brain trying to use pathways that don't exist anymore. It can't be fixed."

"I want to heal the pain I see in you." Raan'ita said softly. "And I can't."

"Hey." Anya said softly, laying her head on the quarian's shoulder. "_Do not_ blame yourself. You have done so much for me. You have sacrificed your time and effort for me. You have helped me a great deal. And I am about to return the favor."

"Anya?" Raan'ita asked slowly. "What?"

"Mika, send Lipa in, please?" Anya sad as she released Raan'ita and backed away from the now worried quarian. The door hissed open and a familiar female prothean stepped in, but this time, she was in the flesh again.

"Lipa." Raan'ita said with a smile. "Scholar did it?"

"He did." Lipa said with a matching smile. "Madre..." She came to Anya's side and laid a hand on Anya's shoulder. Anya smiled fondly at the Prothean and then nodded. Lipa dropped her hand, turned to Raan'ita and bowed her head. "Doctor, I... We have a request."

"We?" Raan'ita asked cautiously.

"Yes." Lipa said calmly. "My siblings and I have been trained, we know a great deal about hurting others. But some of us would like to learn to heal. We are used to life on ship, close quarters do not bother us."

"Are you asking... _me_?" Raanita inquired with a look at Anya who remained impassive. "To come with me on the Merciful Flight?"

"Not all." Lipa said with a faint smile. "There are twenty of us who have expressed similar desires. We have various training. I myself was trained in maintenance of high energy capacitors for sublight drives." Lipa smiled at Raan'ita's incredulous expression. "We had to learn how to use the ship we were born on."

"I...Anya?" Raan'ita asked Anya who sighed. "Are you okay with this?"

"We talked, Lipa and I, while she was ensconced in Obligatha's secondary memory core." Anya replied somewhat uneasily. "I don't _like_ it, mind you. But they are all adults, by Prothean standards. They have the right to decide for themselves. And..." She let out a deep breath. "I knew that someday, my kids would fly the nest. I don't pretend it doesn't hurt, but I know that you will take the best care of them that you can."

"Madre..." Lipa said, her face falling. "I..."

"Lipa." Anya said softly, cutting the young one off. "Hush. It hurts, but I know it has to be. Fly far and wide, my daughter." Anya said, bowing her head. "And know that wherever you go, you will always be welcome back in my home, at any time." Lipa stared at Anya and then started to cry. "Hey..." Anya said gently, laying a hand on Lipa's shoulder. "It's okay. This is a natural part of life. You have grown strong, Lipa. You and your siblings fill me with pride. I can't teach you any more. You need to go out and learn on your own. Raan'ita is an excellent teacher."

"If it's natural... Then why does it hurt so much?" Lipa asked, controlling her tears. "Madre... It hurts." She said, her tone suddenly childlike. She embraced Anya tight, and Anya hugged her back. "I know I have to go, but I don't want to!"

"I know." Anya said sadly. "I knew this was coming, Raan'ita. But I had no idea how much it would hurt." She held out her hands to Raan'ita who stared at the pair. "You need to experience this. There are no words that do it justice. Lipa... Be gentle." She ordered as Raan'ita took Anya's hands and was drawn into the embrace. Raan'ita gasped and then, she too was crying.

"Keleah..." Raan'ita said softly after a moment. "What _is_ that...? That feeling?"

"My love for Lipa, and her love for me. Shown to you through the protheans' sensory ability. And..." Anya smiled a bit forlornly. "Can you feel this?"

"Oh..." Raan'ita's hand shot to her mouth, covering a dazed expression. Then her gaze changed, to love. "Oh, Anya... I feel the same way." She hugged Anya again.

"I know." Anya said with a grin. "I can feel it through Lipa. Sisters of the heart, forever." She said with a smile then broke the embrace. "Lipa." Her voice changed pitch, to command.

"Madre." Lipa reflexively snapped to attention.

"_You_ are in charge of your siblings." Anya said slowly, her eyes roving over the prothean as if inspecting the young form. "Raan'ita is in command. You will obey her orders. She can be the hardest assed bitch in the galaxy at times, but she _does_ know what she is doing."

"Why thank you, Anya." Raan'ita said with a smile. "I resemble that remark."

"I know." Anya unbent for a moment, but then turned back to Lipa. "I will be available on com at any time. But... I fully expect you all to behave yourselves. If I have to come out to wherever and drag you back here by your crest, kicking and screaming, I _will_. Then I will spank you again. Clear?" Menace sang in her tone now. Lipa shuddered and Raan'ita stared from on to the other.

"Clear, Madre!" Lipa barked.

"There is a story there." Raan'ita said with a slow smile.

"I was...undisciplined." Lipa said with a sigh. "I was stupid."

"You were less than two weeks old." Anya said with a glower. "Yes, I was upset with you for running off and hiding from Scholar in the main battery chamber for two days. So when I got the suit, the first thing I did was look for you and find you." Her glower changed to a smile. "But you learned from that error."

"I did." Lipa agreed with a slightly sick smile. "The punishment you decreed had the desired effect." Raan'ita stared at Lipa who winced again. "Madre has a very firm hand. And the feelings from her while she did it... I will _never_ hurt you that way again, Madre. Never." Lipa promised, tears starting to fall as she embraced Anya again.

"Oh Lipa." Anya said with a fond smile as she patted the prohean's head. "I know. My brave, brave Lipa..." She shook her head. "You better go now, Raan'ita. Or... I won't be able to let her go."

"I will take good care of them." Raan'ita promised. "We have space."

"Don't cut her any slack." Anya said as Lipa released her and stepped back. "She and her siblings don't expect any, but the _last_ thing I want is for any of them to get any lazier."

"Madre!" Lipa protested. "We are _not_ lazy. We are _efficient_."

"Right." Anya said with a glower. "Get out of here, you scamp. I need to change. And I _will_ expect weekly reports on your activities." She said with finality. "If this works, we may send more. Possibly an internship or something similar." She told Raan'ita who looked thoughtful. "Good journeys, Captain Raan'ita Vas Merciful Flight and Lipa." Anya said through a suddenly tight throat. Lipa saluted. Raan'ita nodded. Both walked out without a backward glance. Only after they were gone did Anya let herself loose to cry.

Several minutes later, Anya shook herself and scrubbed her face. "Mika? Am I late?"

"No." The kind voice of the former gardener turned cyborg computer. "You have plenty of time, Anya. Dr. Lisa is still setting up. Get clean."

"I knew it was going to hurt, Mika." Anya said sadly as she walked to the bathroom. She dropped her patient gown and started up the shower in two swift moves. Training was good. Training kept her from thinking. From curling on the floor to cry. "But I had no idea."

"Anya." Mika's voice turned super soft. "She is your child in every way that matters. Of course you are sad to see her 'fly the nest' as you said. But you know she will do well." Her voice came right to Anya's cochlear implants so a little thing like a shower would not drown her out..

"I do." Anya said though the water that coruscated around her. "But I will miss her."

"Of course you will." Mika said softly. "Anya... I am not sure about this. I know the doc asked for privacy and I know you agree. But..."

"I know." Anya said softly as she finished her shower, reached for a towel and started drying herself off. She toweled off her face, opened her eyes and smiled. "You keep spoiling me and I will go soft."

"Not likely." Crado said holding out a bundle of clothes for her. "I am just going to stand over here and enjoy the view." He leered at his wife and she smiled coyly at him.

"And if I... object to that?" Anya asked archly. "The docs have cleared me for more strenuous activities."

"Well..." Crado shrugged. "I guess I will just have to calm you down."

"Fine." Anya's smiled turned evil. "I object to you just standing there and watching."

"Okay." Crado said with a matching grin as he came close. The bundle of clothes fell forgotten at their feet.

**More than a few minutes later**

"I am serious, Crado. I have to do this alone." Anya said sadly as she and her husband stood outside a closed door. It had been a very short walk from Anya's room. "If I don't, I won't ever be whole. I know you are here for me and that gives me the strength I will need." She patted his hand where it lay on her arm and smiled. "Please let me do this?"

"I don't want to let you out of my sight, Anya." Crado replied softly. "But I know you need to do this. Be strong, mi amor. I will be here when you finish." He hugged his wife again and then nodded to her and stepped back.

"Thank you." Anya said, moving close and kissing his cheek. Then she turned and marched to the door resolutely. She keyed the intercom. "Doctor? Anya Solinus here for an appointment." The door hissed open and a kindly older woman's voice sounded.

"Come on in." The voice said calmly and Anya entered without looking back. She nodded to the woman who was seated in one of the two pieces of furniture in the small room. The red haired female human smiled at Anya from her recliner and nodded to the couch nearby. "Have a seat."

"Just a moment, doc." Anya said heavily, bending down to check under the couch. Then she moved the cushions a bit while the doctor watched impassively. Anya scowled as she found nothing and flushed a little. "Sorry." Anya apologized. "Paranoia kept me and mine alive. No offense."

"None taken. After everything you have gone through, Captain Anya Solinus..." The other woman said sadly. "I am surprised you came in alone. Then again..." She smiled wider. "Miranda _did_ say you were a bit tough and stubborn. And if _she_ said that..." The woman chuckled sourly.

"You know Miranda Lawson?" Anya said, lowering herself to the couch slowly.

"A bit." The doctor said with a sigh. "A very driven woman, with a very focused outlook. My name is Lisa Kornis, and various people asked me to come to talk to you. I will be recording, but the recording files will be encrypted. I am the only one who can access them easily or quickly and the system is set up to wipe automatically if anyone else tries. Anything that happens in here, stays in here. I know you can record everything and I ask that you do not. The fewer copies of such sensitive information, the better."

"You are a counselor." Anya said with a nod as she sat and then relaxed onto the couch. "There are a bunch of people here who could use some counseling."

"I know." Doctor Kornis said sadly. "Just the preliminary interviews were...heartbreaking. That girl -Kina-..." The doc took a deep breath and nodded. "This will not be quick, Anya Solinus. We are going to go places that bother you. Places that you will truly wish not to go. But you _will_ be better for it. I can and will help."

"I know." Anya said slowly, closing her eyes. "Will you use drugs?"

"No." The doctor replied. "They are a last resort in my profession. They don't usually work all that well. And by all accounts, your own tolerance for such things is amazing. So... We will talk, you and I."

"Just...talk?" Anya couldn't keep disbelief out of her voice and scowled, but when she opened her eyes, the doc was smiling at her. "What?"

"It does help, to pull things out so they can be examined in the light of day, Anya Solinus." The doctor said quietly. "I can't guarantee success, but I will do my utmost."

"What do I do?" Anya asked quietly, lying back.

"Relax." Lisa said calmly. "For right now, I just want to get to know you. In later sessions, we may try hypnosis or medicated therapy. But for now...What little I know about your background is disturbing. So, let's see what we can do. Where would you like to start?"

"Aren't you in charge?" Anya asked slowly.

"This is about you, Anya." Lisa said softly. "I want to get to know you and I want you to get to know me. If you don't trust me, this won't work. You don't know me yet. You have no _reason_ to trust me yet. So I am going to start off with a confession." Anya looked at her and Lisa sighed. "Before the war, back before all of this...I worked for Cerberus." Anya jerked in place, only the soldier's iron control kept her on the couch. "Sooner or later, someone will tell you. I figured I should."

"I knew other good people who worked for Cerberus." Anya said softly. "Miranda, Jennifer and Chris for three. Why tell me now?"

"Because if it came at you cold..." Lisa said softly. "You will think everything I say or do is a lie. I was young, idealistic and stupid. Miranda saved my life when she pulled me out. I did _not_ thank her for it at the time." Regret sang in the doc's tone. "I was...very upset with her for essentially kidnapping me. It took years of talking with counselors myself to see that she _did_ save my life and my soul. So when she asked me to come help, I said 'yes'."

"You _know_ I am going to check your background." Anya said softly, unsure. "Deeper now."

"Please do." Lisa said with a nod. "I will give you a list of counselors I worked with. Admittedly, THAT could be faked. But Miranda is also supposed to be coming, so..." She shrugged. "I don't blame you for your feelings. After what you have seen and gone through at the hands of Cerberus, I am surprised you are as together as you are."

"Miranda is coming?" Anya asked.

"Yes." Lisa said with a shrug. "Not sure when. She lives and breathes secrecy. But she is a good friend. And I owe her."

"I can understand that." Anya replied softly. "She fixed my eyes." Anya said sadly. "I still have no idea what these implants were for."

"Miranda thinks they were an interface." Lisa said with a nod. "But for what? And to do what? No idea. She is pursuing leads in her own -thankfully unique- fashion." She gulped. "You were terrified when you woke up."

"More scared than I have been in my life." Anya admitted. "More scared than I was when a Banshee teleported behind me, grabbed me and slammed her hand clear through me on Thessia." Lisa stared at her and Anya shrugged. "My team was there, I trusted them to save my ass. It..." She shook her head. "It only hurt for a second. But ugh... She groaned. "It _really_ hurt before I lost consciousness."

"My god." Lisa said, her face horrified. "How can you stand it? Such horrible things?"

"Someone had to." Anya said with a sigh. "I was good at it, so I did it." She shrugged. "Did I enjoy it? No. But better me than some poor kid who has never held a gun before in her life..." Anya trailed off, her eyes going far away. "Like Benning..."

"What happened on Benning, Anya?" Lisa asked, her voice professional.

"What happened?" Anya asked, her tone turning rough in remembered emotion. "A clusterfuck..."


	67. Chapter 67

**Planet Benning, during the Reaper War**

"Okay, people..." Anya said loudly enough to be heard over the whine of the shuttle's engines. "You heard the briefing. We are a lifeline. We pick a corridor and hold it long enough for the civvies to get clear. It's Cerberus. Again" She said with a sigh. A groan met her words but no one complained. This was what they did. And they were good at it. She grabbed a overhead strap and held on for dear life as the shuttle bucked harder.

The Kodiak shuttle was descending rapidly thought the atmosphere. The pilot really wanted this to be over, shuttle crew had a _very_ short life expectancy around Reapers. Since Anya and her team were trusting their lives to this pilot, she didn't mind. Much.

"Any further intel?" Anya asked the pilot as she made her way towards the hatch, her heavily armed team following her.

"Negative, Ma'am." The female pilot said with a snarl as she fought to keep the ungainly machine on an even keel. "Nothing since the distress call. Sorry for the ride. Lots of chop."

"We haven't been blown out of the sky or run into anything." Anya said with a smile. "We may all want to puke, but it beats dying." A laugh came from the pilot, but then the woman stiffened.

"Captain! I am getting a civilian SOS, it says Cerberus is rounding up people." The pilot snapped, professionalism taking over. "Taking them somewhere."

"Where?" Anya asked, hunger soaking her tone.

Ever since she and her team had been posted to this planet 'temporarily', she and her people had encountered Cerberus forces. It was weird though. Half the time, they kidnapped civilians, and the other half they killed them. Anya wasn't sure which fate was worse. She had seen with her own eyes the fates of humans unlucky enough to wind up in the Illusive Man's clutches. It was always any decent soldier's duty to protect civilians, but in this case, the Alliance had made it a priority. This planet seemed to draw out the absolute worst attacks. Reaper scouts showed up every so often, Geth incursions as well. But it was the Cerberus attacks that really bothered Anya.

Cerberus had always bothered Anya. The terrorist organization _had_ done some decent things on occasion. Their revival of Shepard to find and stop a threat that was abducting entire human colonies had been a good thing. They had been created to defend humanity. But as in a lot of organizations throughout human history, they seemed to have lost the desire to protect and gained the desire to control. She had read a bunch of Shepard's reports on Cerberus, even going to visit her compatriot in the house arrest that the Alliance brass had agreed upon to keep the batarians from declaring war over what Shepard had done. Anya hadn't know what to expect, but the other woman's grief and regret hadn't been feigned. Anya had learned a lot about Cerberus from Shepard, but this... This whole mess made _no_ sense. She shook herself. Time to woolgather later.

"Coordinates locked. Thirty to dirt!" The pilot shouted as the engine noise rose in pitch.

"Lock and load!" Anya said sharply, pulling her pistol, seating the thermal clip and setting it to safe. It wasn't her primary weapon, her mind was. But she liked having backups. Around her, the three other members of her team did the same.

Mia was human, from Inta'sei. A former farmer and hunter, now she was one of the team snipers. A hard hating woman, she was as cold blooded as they came when she had a target in her sights. She checked her Mantis rifle again and nodded as Anya looked at her. Kriiil was next. He was a rock of calm. She had never seen the drell get emotional. She was pretty sure he had been an assassin, but didn't ask. The odd thing was, he wasn't cold blooded. He smiled, frowned, joked. But it was always...distant. He was never attached. And she always had that little feeling that if she did wind up in a little box in his mind marked 'inconvenient', she wouldn't live very long. She turned to her last team member and tried not to sigh. The way that Marc held his rifle... It was as if he wasn't sure what end the bullets came out. She was half tempted to take it away from him. But then again, he was a biotic, like her. His rifle wasn't his weapon, his mind and body were. A human merc, he HAD come recommended, and she had been willing to give the guy a chance. But this was the first time he dropped with her. She promised herself she would keep an eye on him. He hit the side and frowned as the Avenger didn't do anything.

"Problem, Marc?" Anya asked softly. The other two wouldn't say anything.

"I don't know rifles well, Ma'am." The man said with a sigh. "Prefer my SMG. Ah." He said as he hit the right part of his rifle and seated the thermal clip. Then he safetied it, Anya had been _very_ clear that everyone knew how to do that before getting into the shuttle. The _last_ thing any of them needed was an accidental discharge _inside_ the shuttle's armor. Ricochets were no joke at all in an enclosed area.

"We want to keep them at a distance." Anya said with a nod. "I know you are a up close and personal fighter. I prefer that myself. But Phantoms are no joke at all. If _they_ get close, you are a shish kabob. "

"Right." Marc said with a nod as he checked his SMG without even looking at it, speaking of _long_ practice with the Tempest.

"If you have to, stick with the SMG." Anya said with a mental wince at the thought of sprays of fire around her and her team. "Just watch your targets."

"Friendly fire isn't, Ma'am." He said with a sober nod and slapped his helmet closed. Anya looked and Mia had hers shut. Kriiil never wore one and she was _really_ bothered by that, but he never took damage. He could waltz right through a firefight and never seemed to even get singed. He was fast, she had to give him that.

"Go!" The pilot called as the hatch slammed open and Anya was the first out the door. Not great in the case of enemy snipers, but she _had_ to be on the ground, had to see the situation so she could lead. At least the Kodiak's stealth meant they usually had a few seconds before enemy forces responded. They all made it to cover and the Kodiak lifted off again. But... nothing happened. Anya shook her head minutely. This was...off. Usually, as soon as the Kodiak came down, Cerberus forces started swarming towards it, the shuttle's sensor baffling negated when the hatch opened, painting a bright red 'shoot me' sign on the blocky machine. Cerberus knew that Kodiaks carried teams of Alliance soldiers. So... What the heck? Where were they?

Mia made a hand motion and Anya nodded. The N7 reached out and grabbed Marc by the arm, holding him in cover as he started to rise when Mia did. He froze as Mia hit her tactical cloak and vanished from sight. Anya knew that Mia would find a good hidey hole to observe from. And kill from. She made a hand motion, cocked her head to the side and smiled under her mask as Marc nodded. He covered his sector like the pro he was while Kriiil moved up. The drell was insanely fast, darting from cover to cover. Then he froze behind a solid looking wall and held up a hand. He made the hand motion for 'Cerberus', three fingers arching down. But he looked confused. Anya looked at him and he made another gesture, indicating that the enemy were looking away with a shrug. Anya grinned a feral smile under her mask and nodded. She tapped Marc on the shoulder. He darted forward, if not as fast as Kriiil, then low and irregularly, to minimize his exposure to enemy fire. The more she saw of this guy, the more she liked. He dropped into cover and then she was running. She made it to cover near Kriiil and paused. There was a line of Cerberus ahead, all looking away from her. All looked to be regular assault troops, the rank and file cannon fodder that Cerberus kept throwing away like cheap toilet paper. No centurions, no guardians, no nemesis, no phantoms. What the hell?

"Skipper!" Mia's voice was sharp in Anya's com. "We got a problem!"

"What's up?" Anya asked, looking for the ambush. There _had_ to be one.

"They got kids lined up, Ma'am!" Mia's voice turned sick. "It looks like... _No!_" The sniper shouted. Anya spun as gunfire sounded form her front. She stared, dumbfounded for a moment as she saw the assault troops firing at the line of small forms that knelt in front of them. An execution! Anya felt her blood run cold, and then hot. Rage ran through her, the likes of which she had never encountered before.

"_Kill the bastards!_" Anya screamed as she threw herself out of cover.

She was too late. The last child, a little girl who couldn't have been more than five or six, fell with several holes in her little body before Anya could throw her first ball of kinetic energy. Then it was ten Cerberus assault troopers versus four _very_ pissed off N7 Special Ops team members. The fight lasted barely two seconds. Anya tore her mask off and went to her knees beside the little girl, who was still breathing. Anya was shaking her head, there was nothing she could do. Long experience with death told the story. The little girl was dying. Even a fully equipped trauma emergency room might not be able to save her, and the medi-gel the team carried certainly wouldn't. Kriiil knelt down, scanned her with his omni-tool and shook his head.

"Do what you can." Anya commanded and he nodded. He was the team medic on this jaunt. His tool hissed and the girl sighed as her pain faded, but then she looked up into Anya's eyes.

"Why...?" The girl asked weakly. "They took our parents. They didn't say anything... They just... They just...Why?" She pleaded and slumped, her meager stores of energy fading with her life.

"I don't know." Anya said, tears falling. But then she realized the girl's eyes did not see her. They stared at nothing. Anya bowed her head and gently closed the staring eyes. Then she reached to her side and grabbed her mask.

"Skipper, we got incoming." Mia's calm voice sounded. "I count two Atlases, three..." A report sounded from up high. "Make that _two_ Nemesis. Forty troops -all kinds- and..." Mia paused. "Something new. Haven't seen these guys before. They look weird."

"Phantoms?" Anya asked softly, barely recognizing her own voice.

"Not that I can... Skipper! Nine o'clock!" Mia's voice was sharp. "Civvie!" She called as Anya and the team raised weapons. All three lowered them.

A small form had darted out of cover to grab one of the Cerberus weapons. The little girl hefted the Hornet SMG. Her small hands shook, but the girl didn't back down when Anya looked at her. She looked remarkably like the girl who lay still at Anya's feet.

"They killed my little sister." The girl said with a snarl.

"Yes." Anya said softly, her tone softening. "Put the gun down, girl. You don't know what you are doing with it. Let us. We know what we are doing, They will _not_ get away with it." She stated.

"Promise?" The girl asked a she knelt by the line of still forms. She did put the gun down.

"I promise." Anya said with a nod. "There is a landing pad to the east, go there and hide..."

"Skipper!" Mia called. "Incoming! Phantom! Lost her..."

"_Run!_" Anya snapped to the girl as she spun in place, looking for the threat. But then she went cold again as a white and black armored form appeared beside the girl who had just started to run. A slice and the girl fell, never to rise. Then the phantom was gone again. "No!" Anya screamed.

"On your three!" Mia called.

Anya spun in place in time to see the Phantom come out of stealth behind Marc, trying for a backstab. Anya felt power flow through her like never before as she stepped forward and slammed the Phantom with power. The evil Cerberus ninja laughed as she raised her shield only to fall in a rain of gore as Mia hit her with a clean headshot.

"That is how you handle Phantoms, Marc." Anya heard her voice say. She barely recognized it. "Their shield protects them from powers, but they can't move with the shield up." Kriiil stiffened at her tone.

"Captain..." The drell said in a warning tone. "Be very careful. You are angry. I understand. So am I. That little human was my daughter's age." Anya looked at him, she hadn't known he had kids. "We need you. Do not let your hate overwhelm you. You are a good woman. Do _not_ let these scum win." He begged. She stared at him, it was first time she had seen him emotional. Then she turned as movement was seen.

"They are not going to win." Anya said with a snarl as the first Atlas appeared in the distance. "They are going to _die!_" She raised her hand and a ball of energy slammed out of it, crossing the distance between herself and the hulking war machine. It shuddered in place and then rose slightly off it's metal feet, suspended by Anya's power. The follow up bolt of kinetic energy slammed into the Atlas, the resulting clash of energy releasing explosively. The war machine strode through it, it's shields damaged but still whole. The troops _surrounding_ the war machine were less fortunate. Many of them went flying, some into walls, some into each other. Many of them stayed down, never to rise. "I will kill every _last_ one of you Cerberus bastards!" Anya screamed as she ran forward.

"_Captain! No!_" Kriiil shouted but it was far too late. Anya's vision devolved into a red haze filled with triangles, targets to kill.

* * *

"Captain?" A soft voice sounded from far away. "Captain Anya, can you hear me?"

Anya was aware she was breathing hard, that she hurt in a number of places. She was lying on her side, against something solid. Everything hurt, but her HUD said her vitals were okay. Breathing hurt, but she managed to gasp out words.

"Kriiil?" Anya asked softly. What had happened? She remembered that little girl dying under the Phantom's sword and then everything in her memory went red. "Status?"

"Cerberus forces eliminated, Captain." Kriiil said formally. "Stay down." He commanded as Anya started to move.

"Mia... Marc, I have to..." She froze as the muzzle of a pistol appeared in front of her. It was aimed at _her!_ "Kriiil...?" She asked slowly.

"Don't move." Kriiil said calmly. "You went berserk. Per Alliance HQ on planet, I am taking you into custody pending a psychiatric evaluation."

"I..." Anya shook her head, dumbfounded. "What...? No... I..."

"Captain." Kriiil said softly. "Mia is hit, bad. We were trying to get to you. She is stable, for now. Shuttle is inbound. Don't move." He warned her. "I will shoot you."

"Where is Marc?" Anya asked. Kriiil did not respond and Anya looked at him. "Kriiil? What?"

"You don't remember?" Kriiil said softly. "I should have stopped you. I should have knocked you out or something. I am sorry." Grief sounded in his tone now.

"Kriiil?" Anya said slowly. "What happened?"

"Marc is dead, captain." Kriiil said sadly. "You were being overwhelmed despite your fields. Cerberus has a new type of trooper, heavy armor and some kind of lash. They jump in, and stun with the lash. Three of them attacked you. He charged to help you and hit his nova." Anya froze.

"No..." Anya said, horrified. "That drops his barriers... No..." She begged.

"You detonated your field before his barrier recharged." Kriiil said gently. "He was killed instantly. You didn't see him. You couldn't hear us." He said, his tone super soft now.

"I... I killed a teammate...?" Anya asked, her voice small. "No..." She bowed her head and cried. She did not move as shuttle engines were heard in the distance. A soft conversation sounded and then, a gentle hand was at her elbow helping her rise.

"Come on, Captain." Kriiil said quietly. "Let's go home."

"Don't let me hurt anyone, Kriiil." Anya said softly. "Do whatever you have to do."

"It won't come to that, Anya." He said as he led her stumbling towards the shuttle. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." Anya said as he led her in past a medic working feverishly on Mia's still form and a black bag. It looked too small for a full size human. "He was good." She said sadly.

"Rest, Captain." Kriiil said gently as a medic injected her with something. "It will be okay."

"No." Anya said as lethargy dragged her under. "No it won't..."

* * *

*Classified Ultra Secret*

It is the finding of this review board that Captain Anya, N7, Alliance Special Forces, is psychologically fit for combat operations.


	68. Chapter 68

**The Present**

"My god." Lisa looked stunned after Anya finished speaking. "Were they insane? What were they _thinking_?" She demanded, her voice low. "You were nowhere _near_ fit. There was no way for you to be. Not that soon. Not after...that." She said with a swallow.

"VIs are easy to fool." Anya said in a monotone, her face in her hands. "I had been spoofing them for a while. I knew I was dangerous, the team knew I was dangerous. But they trusted me. I was sent to talk to C-Flat Viridian after being released from the shrink's care. Hackett knew something was wrong so he tried to give me an easy assignment and I ran smack dab into Cerberus again. Was I suicidal? Maybe. I dunno. I did hate Cerberus with every fiber of my being. I do to this day." Anya broke off with a sigh.

"If I find the guy who certified you as psychologically fit on a VI's say so, I will hurt him!" Lisa said with a grimace, outrage pouring from her. "That is not just malpractice, that is _dumb_."

"Well, yeah..." Anya said with another sigh. "It was war, doc. The Alliance couldn't spend time to coddle one hurt soldier." She raised a hand as Lisa drew in an angry breath. "Lisa... Think about it." Anya said sadly. "What was happening? What was happening _everywhere_?" Lisa stared at her and slumped a little.

"The Reapers." Lisa replied slowly. "But... That doesn't make any sense..." She protested. "Sending someone back into combat who is unstable is begging for trouble-" She broke off as the door hissed open and Anya stared as Miranda Lawson all but ran in. "Uh...Miranda?"

"Anya, get away from her!" Miranda commanded, a gun appearing in her hand. Lisa did not move from her chair and Anya did as instructed. "That is _not_ Lisa Kornis!" Then she paused. "Cathy?"

"Miranda?" Anya asked softly as she moved to the wall.

"Don't move, whoever you are." Miranda snapped, her focus never wavering from the now slumping doctor. " Did you eat or drink anything, Anya?"

"No." Anya looked from one woman to the other confused. "This... isn't Lisa Kornis?" She asked slowly.

"There was a mess found in Lisa Kornis' apartment two days ago. Her remains." Miranda said softly, her eyes a pair of laser beams that bored into the now cringing doctor. "It took some time to ID her from DNA, since she was sliced to pieces and then the remains were doused with acid and flushed down the commode." Anya winced, but then nodded. "This looks like Cathy Kornis, Lisa's sister."

"I..." The woman in the chair said slowly. "I can explain..."

"Are _you_ with Cerberus?" Anya asked slowly, her face hardening.

"I..." The woman who called herself Lisa broke off and then nodded. "I am." She blanched as Anya made a noise more suited to an angry krogan than a human, but did not move.

"She is all yours, Miranda." Anya said harshly. "Make it hurt." She stepped towards the door but paused as the woman in the chair made a soft sound of dismay. "What? You expect leniency from me?"

"No." The supposed doctor said sadly. "I did come to help. I don't expect you to believe me, but I did. And..." She sighed. "I _am_ Lisa Kornis, Miranda Lawson. The woman you knew was not."

"Prove it." Miranda said flatly.

"I can't. Look." The supposed Lisa said soberly. "All the records were changed. I don't _carry_ my original ID on my person. I think all of the people who could ID me are gone. My orders from the Alliance _and_ from my cell leader were to come here and help you, Anya Solinus." She said sadly. "But I can't now. I am sorry."

"You are sorry?" Anya asked, incredulous. "_You are sorry?_" She snapped. "I am sure that Phantom on Benning was sorry when she beheaded that poor little girl. I am _sure_ the troopers who gunned down the kids before that were sorry too." She said sarcastically.

"They probably were." Lisa said softly. "But there was no way for them to disobey after they were put through Cerberus indoctrination." She didn't move as Anya walked to stand beside Miranda. "I don't _know_ what happened, but I can hypothesize. Some of us have been researching what happened, for the Alliance among others. We... Many of us stayed in contact with each other after..." She slumped a bit. "Some of us wanted to be what Cerberus was supposed to be all along. A shield. A warding hand, a..." She shook her head and sighed. "A defense, not a dagger in the back."

"What do you hypothesize?" Miranda asked, her tone not changing and her pistol's muzzle never wavering.

"I guess..." Lisa said slowly. "...that the Reapers managed to piggyback a signal onto the control signals that the Illusive Man used to control his troops. From what I can determine, the orders of the squads sent to Benning were to recruit, by force if needed." Anya's face was a mask and Lisa nodded. "Yes, it was wrong. I agree, and everyone I have spoken with says the same. There were _no_ orders to gun down _anyone_. And certainly not kids!" She said, her face entreating. "You have _got_ to believe me, I have looked. We have _all_ looked." Lisa said with a shiver. "We _all_ bear some responsibility for what happened. Every member of Cerberus who is not a mindless fanatic or a moron likely feels the same way. Not all of us were indoctrinated." She said sadly."Some of us were just easily led."

"You were a different cell from my father's." Anya said with a nod, her face still hard. "What was your mission?"

"My job was and is counseling." Lisa said sadly. "I kept the various docs on our staff sane. Or as sane as I could." She said with a grimace. She looked at Miranda levelly. "The woman you knew was my sister, Cathy." Miranda's eyes narrowed and Lisa continued. "She was my guard, my decoy." Lisa said slowly. "I didn't know until two days ago that she reported to your father, Anya."

"_What_ did you say?" Anya asked, recoiling.

"I was enjoying my work. Cathy got me a good job with the Alliance." Lisa said softly. "I work with Veteran's Affairs." Anya looked at Miranda but the other woman was intent on Lisa who continued. "So many people with horrific memories. I like helping them." Lisa said with heaviness. "Cathy had taken my place, changed DNA records with me just before Mrs. Lawson here 'rescued' her from the facility she worked at. She said..." Lisa actually snarled. "She said I was in danger. That I needed to stay hidden. I didn't have any idea." She said, her face falling. "I guess she had some kind of warning of your attack, Mrs. Lawson? I don't know."

"There _is_ one person who _would_ be able to ID you." Miranda said softly. "She came with me and she is on her way."

"Who?" The seated woman asked, and then froze as the door hissed open again and a blonde haired woman stepped in, her face worried. Then the newcomer stiffened as Lisa exclaimed in shock. "_Kelly?_ Kelly Chambers?"

Anya blinked. Where did she know that name from? Then she nodded. Oh, yeah. Shepard had talked about her time with Cerberus and the counselor who had been aboard the ship, a kind hearted soul. The poor girl had gone through hell when the Collectors had abducted the crew.

"Hello, Lisa." The sad faced woman said with a nod. "That's Lisa, Miranda."

"Are you sure, Kelly?" Miranda asked gently. "It's been a while."

"It's her." The former yeoman of the Normandy SR-2 said with a sad smile. Then it faltered. "I mean, it's her face... I..."

"Kelly..." Lisa said, her face a mask of sorrow. "I... They told me you were dead. That the troops killed you during the coup... I..." She shook her head. "How?" She asked, half astonished, half pleading.

"Shepard pushed me to get a new identity before the coup." Kelly said with a half grimace. "They couldn't go through shooting every blonde, now could they?" Kelly asked, a gentle smile appearing on her face. "Miranda?" She asked. Miranda shrugged and lowered her weapon, but did not put it away. Kelly stepped forward and... Anya stared as the blonde haired woman pulled the sitting woman out of her chair and kissed her, hard. Lisa stiffened and then relaxed into the embrace. Kelly was smiling as she broke the embrace and stepped back. "It's her. It has been several years, but it is her."

"You are still crazy, Kelly." Lisa said, her face a mask of shock. "If I _were_ my sister, you would be dead. She came for me... She... She..." She hugged herself tight. Amazingly, it was Anya who spoke, and the N7's voice was super soft.

"What happened?" Anya asked as Kelly stepped back.

"Cerberus was never a monolithic organization." Lisa said as she collapsed back into her chair, tears streaming. "It was always cells. Small groups that only knew each other. My sister and I were from a colony called Ferris Fields." Anya froze and Lisa nodded. "Yeah, the Collectors took the colony. My entire family. But before that... I was..." She sighed. "I was stupid."

"You were young." Kelly said gently. "So was I. What did Cathy do?"

"I would have _jumped_ at any chance to get out of the colony." Lisa said softly. "It wasn't a bad place, but I never fit. Cathy and I went off to school together. We were twins. Not quite identical, but very close." Anya inhaled sharply and looked at Miranda who looked thoughtful. "When I finished my education, Cathy introduced me to a man who offered me a job helping people. Helping to defend humanity. What was I going to say? 'No'?"

"Cerberus." Anya said slowly, unsure.

"Yes." Kelly picked up the story. "During our initial training..." She smiled at Lisa who smiled back. "She and I met. Lisa and I shared several classes. We were both young and a bit foolish." She said with a sad smile. "We were in a study group together and found several things that we both enjoyed. And then...more. Lisa...?" She asked softly. "What did Cathy do?"

"She came for me." Lisa said in a monotone. "I had no idea. She said she had a message from Pedro Wilson-Fuentes. She didn't seem hostile. Some expert judge of character I am, huh?" She asked nobody bitterly.

"What did she do?" Kelly asked again.

"She came to the door, asked to talk to me. She had a big bag with her. It clinked, but she said it was mementos. It wasn't." Lisa said with a sigh. "I was with a patient, but... I mean, it was my sister, right?" She shook her head. "I went into another room to talk to Cathy and she jumped me. If not for my guest, I would be dead. Before Cathy could finish the job, she was jerked right off of me. I... did not handle it well... What Luci did..." She said with a swallow.

"Luci?" Anya's eyes narrowed and then went wide. "Not Luci Shin?" She asked incredulous.

"I shouldn't..." Lisa shook her head and then sighed. "Ah, to hell with it. I can't talk about what _we_ talked about, but yes. That is her name, Luci Shin. You know her?" She asked, curious.

"I do. She is an N7." Anya said with a smile that faltered. "She was seeing you?"

"She had some... issues." Lisa said with a sigh. "That is all can say_. _She...took offense to Cathy trying to strangle me. It... The fight didn't last long. Then while I recovered, she used a sword that Cathy had brought to... um..." She swallowed heavily. "I wasn't very coherent, I don't know exactly _what_ she did. She said there wasn't any evidence. She scared the _hell_ out of me."

"I don't doubt it." Anya said softly. "Luci is fracking dangerous. That woman scares _me_. Miranda?"

"We cannot trust you." Miranda said softly. "You came here under false pretenses."

"No, actually I didn't." Lisa said with a sigh. "Cathy switched places with me years ago again. I think to go do other jobs for Cerberus. You asked for a counselor with experience dealing with veterans. My name popped up in the Alliance data search. I had received a request to be available for immediate relocation. But I was seeing my patients to clear up my schedules, get them to other counselors I trusted when my door rang. Cathy was there, asked to talk. I ushered her into my sitting room and asked for a minute from my patient who was kind about it. But then... Cathy didn't _say_ anything. Just attacked. Then Luci hit her and killed her. But when Luci searched her, she found a note..." Lisa reached into a pocket and pulled out a small crumpled piece of paper. "I know, I know it all seems so... melodramatic."

"No data trail." Miranda said with a small nod. "Kelly?" She asked and Kelly nodded. The blonde haired girl stepped forward, took the note from Lisa and stepped back.

"What the hell?" Kelly asked, unsure. "It says... I don't know the language. I think it's...Spanish?"

"Let me see." Anya said sharply. Kelly held out the note and Anya took it, scrutinizing it. "Handwritten. That is my christened name, haven't used it in years. Then... Todos los Santos." Anya said softly. "That is 'All Saint's Day'. That is only a couple of days from now. And then... Guerra, which is 'War' and then..." She stiffened and then grimaced. "Muerto..." She paled.

"What is that?" Miranda asked softly.

"Death." Anya said with a swallow. "This is an order to kill me. On All Saint's Day. And I bet I know who sent it. My father got away from the Council, didn't he?" Anya asked softly.

"I..." Miranda took a deep breath and then nodded. "Yes. We didn't want to stress you, but we _have_ been quietly ramping up security as well as searching for him."

"All the security in the universe wouldn't have mattered." Anya said softly. "Lisa... I have a question. If I got hysterical in the course of a session? What would you do?"

"Usually I make tea." Lisa said, not comprehending. Then _she_ paled. "No..."

"Your sister takes your place, comes here, gets me all hot and bothered, and then gives me tea." Anya said softly as both Miranda and Kelly inhaled sharply. "And shortly after that, I have a massive stroke or heart attack. As messed up as I have been, no one would have likely connected the dots."

"We would investigate." Miranda protested, but it was halfhearted.

"I know you would, Miranda." Anya said with a sad smile. "But tell me true. _Could_ you find traces of all types of Cerberus toxins?"

"No." Miranda said reluctantly. "Most are designed to be untraceable. And many are natural, or occur naturally. Damn, it, Anya... I am sorry."

"I am not dead yet." Anya said softly. "Forewarned is forearmed." She said quietly. "I am _going_ to contact Luci." She said to Lisa.

"Tell her from me that you follow 'The Kami Way'." Lisa said with a nod. Anya stared at her and Lisa shrugged. "She insisted on having a code phrase. I wanted to help her, and it calmed her a bit."

"That is good." Anya said with a smile. "That girl was crazy. A good fighter, but crazy."

"Pot meet kettle?" Miranda asked with a sly grin. Anya chuckled at that, but Miranda sobered. "And now?"

"I have a session to finish." Anya said with a nod. "Miss Chambers? Would you be open for employment?" Kelly froze and looked at Anya.

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked, unsure. "I work for Miranda." Anya raised an eyebrow at Miranda who sighed.

"Kelly has some...issues of her own." Miranda said diplomatically. "I...uh..." She broke off as Kelly laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Miranda has given me a place." Kelly said softly. "I needed security and something to do. She gave me both while I worked out my problems. I... I owe her..."

"You owe me nothing, Kelly." Miranda said, embracing the younger woman with one arm. The other did not move and the pistol in hand was still off safe, Anya noticed.. "I was happy to help."

"Miranda?" Anya asked quietly. "I was meaning to ask you before. But I will do it now. I am building a school here. What better way to combat ignorance that through education?" Miranda looked at her and Anya smiled. "We _are_ rehabilitating former Cerberus personnel. Like Lisa here. We could use some more counselors." She nodded to Kelly. "We will also need a teacher for biotics. Probably more than one actually." She said to Miranda who looked thoughtful. She turned back to Lisa and then with a smile, walked to the couch and sat down. "Counselor?"

"Are _you_ insane?" Lisa asked slowly. "You haven't even corroborated my story."

"I _doubt_ Miranda is going to leave the room." Anya said with a grin. One that faltered. "I know about being a pawn in a larger game, Lisa. But I want to stop hating. I want to get on with my life. I want to..." She took a deep breath and then nodded. "I want to live again."

Miranda and Kelly looked at each other and then at Lisa who flushed a bit. She shrugged and then shook herself.

"Okay..." She said dubiously. "Let's focus on your feelings, Anya." Lisa said softly as Miranda leaned against the wall and Kelly nodded and left the room. "What exactly do you feel when I say the word 'Cerberus'?" Anya took a deep breath before responding and Lisa nodded with a smile.

"Hate." Anya said softly. "I feel... Anger. Fear. A sense of betrayal." She mused.

"Anything else?" Lisa asked, her tone non-committal.

"Hmmm..." Anya said slowly, thinking hard. "The other emotions are strong. I feel other things but they are drowned out. But... Something else. Sadness?" She mused. "Pity?" She shook her head. "I... I can't define it. It's weird."

"Well, _I_ feel betrayed." Lisa admitted. "I have for a long time. I was young and idealistic, probably a bit stupid too. But I believed. You believed too." Lisa said softly. "In the Alliance."

"Yes." Anya said sadly.

"Are you religious, Anya?" Lisa asked in a soft tone.

"Somewhat." Anya said slowly. "It has been said that there are no atheists in foxholes and its true. I have prayed quite a bit when stuff started flying over my head. It is not the religion of my youth, not the songs or the trappings. But..." She shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"There are a few buttons in the human psyche even today Anya that defy easy explanation." Lisa said soberly. "Faith is one of them. I mean, think about it. Humans have lied to each other about faith, either through ignorance or malice, for _centuries_. But if there is _one_ thing that can quickly and easily get people angry, it is someone trampling on their beliefs, whatever they may be." Anya blinked and Lisa nodded. "Cerberus was supposed to defend, to serve. They didn't. We...didn't..." She said to Miranda who had stiffened.

"You thought you were doing the right thing." Anya said slowly.

"So did you." Lisa replied in a sad tone. "I personally, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, think you _were_ doing the right thing. I _know_ we were not. Now. But... What do you believe, Anya?" Lisa asked kindly.

"I believe a person should be able to make his or her own choices." Anya said after a moment of thinking. "For good or ill, if we lose free will, what do we have?" Lisa just looked at her and Anya slumped a bit. "Are you saying that my _religion_ is the cause of this?"

"No." Lisa said with a sigh. "Anya. I just met you. I have no idea what is causing your hate to grow so much. But I _do_ admire you." Anya stared at the doc and Lisa sighed. "I haven't gone through what you have. And you are handling it so well..."

"Could have fooled me." Anya said, her face dropping to her hands.

"No one's dead, Anya." Lisa said with the hint of a bite to her voice. "You survived horrors that most of the rest of us can only dream of. I _can_ help, but it will not be easy or quick. You are strong, Anya. But every strength has it's limits. We can't go through everything today, but we can make a start. Let's explore anger first. You know that at it's basic level, anger is a chemical reaction in the brain, yes?"

"Yes." Anya said slowly. "The 'Fight or Flight' reflex."

"Yeah." Lisa said with a grimace. "It hasn't changed all _that_ much since the first proto humans came down from the trees millions of years ago..."


	69. Chapter 69

Crado was there when Anya staggered out of the room, her face somber but a mask of dried tears. She was scrubbing it with a wet tissue.

"Anya?" He asked, concerned as he reached for her. "You okay?"

"No." Anya said sadly. She shook her head quickly as he froze. "No, It's not Lisa. It's me. I... Crado I am a mess."

"I know." Crado said gently. "Come on. Granli said something about 'feeding the horde'. She was looking through a book on levo and dextro foods, but I dunno..." He shuddered a bit. "She is the only female I have ever met who could burn water."

"Crado!" Anya said with a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a snarl. "That isn't nice!"

"True though." Crado said with a grin as he held Anya's shivering form close. "Can you talk about it?" He asked gently. She shook her head.

"I have a lot of thinking to do." Anya said slowly. Then she looked at her husband. "I expected you to run in after Miranda."

"I was going to." Crado said softly. "But then, I remembered something someone told me once. 'No one can face your fears for you'." Anya's eyes went wide at that. Crado smiled a bit forlornly. "That was... one hell of a night, Anya."

"Yeah." Anya said with a smile of her own as she reached up to slowly caress his face. "It was." She said tenderly. "We were... confused." She said and her smile turned into a grin.

"I'll say." Crado said with a grunt. "You leave the same ice cold commander as you had been, and when you come _back_ from the hospital -not telling any of us why you were there- you just about maul me." He said with a grin.

"After Benning..." Anya said sadly, laying her hand on Crado's arm. "I was such a mess. Then C, which I couldn't talk about. And that night in Purgatory, which I _really_ didn't want to talk about..."

"I am glad you came around." Crado said with a fond smile as he stroked her hair. "It _was_ a bit of a shock. And I didn't handle it very well, either." He said in sad memory.

"I was worried I was using you." Anya said slowly. "To relieve my needs. To..." She broke off as he laid a finger against her lips.

"Anya." Crado said in a whisper soft voice. "Both of us were hurting. Both of us needed it. I didn't expect to find what I did. I certainly didn't expect to fall in love."

"Neither did I." Anya said with a smile. "But you know what?" She said with a smile. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"Nothing?" Crado asked with a lilt in his voice. "Not even the dress?" His tone was evil as Anya blinked and froze.

"You _would_ bring that up." Anya said with a scowl. "At least it's gone." She looked at Crado who smirked. "No..." She breathed. "You didn't..."

"Of course I saved it. Melissa asked about turian customs." Crado said with a smile. "I think she is trying it on..."

"You-!" Anya snapped. "If she hurts herself in that...that thing..." She snarled and darted off, her face angry. Crado stared after her for a moment and then followed, confused.

It was a short run to their quarters. The room that Anya and Crado had originally been assigned had been expanded with Mika's help to become a large suite with space for everyone. Anya ran in, to find Granli working at the stove.

"Anya?" Granli asked, then paused. "What is wrong?"

"Where is Melissa?" Anya asked, scared. "She was going to try on something. Something that hurt me when I did it."

"What?" Granli stiffened and then snarled. "No!" She shouted. "Melissa!" She and Anya ran to the room that Melissa had been assigned and paused when the door didn't open. "Melissa?" Granli called as Anya hit the intercom. There was no response.

"Mika? Where is Melissa?" Anya demanded.

"Melissa is out with Chris." Mika's calm voice responded. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes." Anya snapped. "Is Melissa wearing the dress Crado gave her?"

"It didn't fit." Mika said with concern. "It was too small for her. Is there a problem?"

"Yes." Anya snarled. "The dress is made of dextro plant fibers. Prolonged exposure causes an acute allergic reaction in humans." A horrified inhalation sounded from the intercom.

"Anya..." Granli said, horrified as she turned to look at her sister-wife. "Was it blue?"

"Yes." Anya said. "Why?"

"Portia was wearing a new blue dress when she went out." Granli said with a snap and Anya went still. "I saw it, didn't think about it. It's a courting dress isn't it? A turian courting dress?"

"Yes." Anya said, her throat tightening. "Mika! Find Portia!" Crado ran in just then, at what might have been the worst possible time for him to appear. "If my sister dies in that dress..." Anya snapped at him.

"Anya, what the hell...?" Crado asked, dumbfounded.

"Crado." Granli said slowly. "Courting dresses are traditionally woven of 'zin fibers. Those fibers have a powerful sap that persists, makes them soft and flexible. I think... What is the human plant, Anya? The one from Earth? Poison oak?"

"Very similar." Anya said as she paced. She was obviously trying not to wave her hands as she paced, for fear of hitting something. "I was sick as a dog..."

"But..." Crado shook his head. "You never said anything...You said you didn't like it..." He protested.

"Crado." Anya snapped. "You were holding onto your sanity by your _fingernails_. So was I. I was in command. I wasn't _about_ to add to your burdens by telling you that you nearly killed me by accident." Crado froze and Granli stared from one to the other.

"I... What...?" Crado asked, his voice low and fearful.

"I had an allergic reaction to the residue of the sap." Anya said with a sigh. "I liked the dress, Crado. It was beautiful. It felt... heavenly. But..." She shook her head and then, she started to cry. She hugged herself.

"Oh Anya." Granli said with a sigh. "Come here..." She pulled Anya into an embrace and glared at Crado until he excused himself. "Shh... Shh... sister. It's okay."

"Portia shares my genetics, Granli." Anya said through her tears. "If she dies..."

"She won't." Mika's voice sounded, startling both females. "I found her. I have a medic team less than a minute from her. Her vitals are strong. Anya-san..." Mika's voice was gentle now. "It's okay. Anya-san..." Mika begged. "It's okay..."

"If it's not one thing it's another." Anya cried. "My family. Cerberus. Stupid mistakes. I am _sick_ of this..." She hugged Granli tight and the turian female let here cling.

"Anya." Granli said after letting Anya cry for a few minutes. "You have been so strong, so sure, so together. But now it is my turn, sister." She led Anya gently to a chair and sat the limp human woman down. "You are going to sit here and let me take care of you." A blanket found it's way around Anya's shoulders.

"But..." Anya shook her head, uncertain, only to have Granli take her hands in the turian female's and hold them tight.

"No 'buts', Anya." Granli said with a glower that was half angry, half sorrowful. "You are a rock of sanity in an insane universe, Anya. But tonight, you need help." She looked up as a door opened nearby and nodded. "Kai?"

"What happened?" Kai asked, her tone worried. "C-Flat Viridian says there is some kind of medical emergency? She says that a medic team just brought Portia into the infirmary and Portia is _not _happy. She is screaming that they destroyed her dress." She winced as she stepped up to Anya. "Anya?" Anya couldn't answer so Granli did.

"They probably did. They had to get it off fast. Crado kept a memento from his time with Anya during the war." Granli said with a sigh. "A dress. A turian courting dress that was apparently made for Anya. Traditionally, they are made from a plant fiber from a specific tree native to Palaven that is very soft and flexible. And the REASON it is soft and flexible is that it retains the sap. Which is toxic to humans." Kai stiffened and Granli nodded. "Portia was wearing it, but we think we were in time." Granli shook her head and grimaced. "Kai? Can you find Crado and not let him do anything dumb? Please?" She begged.

"Consider it done." Kai said with a smile. Then she paused and smiled wider. "Sister." She said with a nod as she left the room.

"Thank you, sister." Granli said as she held Anya as the human woman sobbed. "Easy, Anya... Easy... Let it out. You can't hurt me, Anya, let it out." Granli crooned, letting Anya weep. She held Anya as the human alternately screamed and wept. "That's it... That's it..."

Granli crooned softly as Anya cried, spending her self-inflicted rage. Finally, Anya sat quietly shivering, her anger and fear spent. Granli held her as she had held her sister through all of it, gently, but firmly.

"Granli..." Anya begged. "What am I going to do?" She asked, plaintive. "I...can't... I can't..."

"Shhh..." Granli soothed her. "It's all right, Anya. You just pulled back the memories of the _worst_ time in your life. You pulled them out and looked at them. Small _wonder_ you freaked. I _knew_ it was going to be bad, which is why I was trying to cook. I... I may not need food, but you _do_." The door hissed and a small scared voice sounded. Anya looked up. Portia stood there, clad only in an emergency blanket. Her hair and skin were wet, so she had been showered, probably to make sure there was no residual sap. The older human female smiled, but then was shivering again and tears were falling again.

"Anya?" Portia's voice was one step removed from terror. "Granli, what happened?"

"She needs us. She has had a number of bad shocks today, Portia." Granli said sadly. "Did they explain?"

"Yes." Portia said just as sadly as she came close. "It was such a pretty dress. But I would rather _not_ have an allergic fit today." Small arms circled Anya as she sat. "Anya..." Portia said quietly. "Anya, look at me. It's okay." Anya shook her head, unable to speak. "Granli?"

"I don't want to sedate her." Granli said soberly. "If she goes to sleep like this, she is likely to have awful nightmares no matter what I do. Besides, she needs to eat." Anya roused slightly.

"I am...right...here..." Anya protested weakly. "Don't... talk around me...please..."

"You are _not_ all here, Anya." Granli said, hugging Anya again. "And _no one_ blames you at all. Come on, sister. Stay with us..."

"Please stay with us, Anya." Portia begged. "There are so many things I don't understand. That can hurt me. I need you." Then everything stopped as the door hissed again and everyone looked up as an irate voice sounded.

"-and _get_ in there, you silly excuse for a male!" Kai snapped as Crado was propelled into the room. "Do you have _any_ idea what Anya would do to you -or me- if I let you drink? Do you?"

"Where was he, Kai?" Granli asked sourly.

"Where do you think?" Kai asked as she grasped one of his mandibles in iron fingers, pulling him towards where Anya sat, stunned. "I was hot on his heels and the bartender wouldn't serve him. Thank _god_." The former Phantom said with a shudder. "When Anya recovers, she would skin us _both_."

"Crado." Granli's voice was flat. "You are _not_ an adolescent anymore. Drinking doesn't help matters."

"Wasn't going to order alcohol." Crado protested, his voice muffled by the grip Kai had on his mouth. "Ow! Kai! Let _go_!"

"Let him go, Kai." Granli said mildly. Kai did, wiping her hand on her pants. Then Granli paused as she heard something odd. Anya was chuckling under her sobs. "Anya?"

"Prune... juice..." Anya managed to croak out. All the females looked at her oddly, but Crado recoiled slightly. "Crado...?" She begged.

"I am sorry, Anya." Crado said softly as he came close. He was unprepared for her to hurl herself into his arms, tears falling in streams. "Anya!" He held her, cradling her to his chest as she cried. "Oh Anya... I am sorry...I didn't know. You should have said something."

"Couldn't." Anya sobbed into his shoulder. "Had to show... strong... Had to be strong..."

"Well, now you don't have to." Granli said softly. "This is what families are for, Anya. To support one another. We could _all_ use a good meal, and I know my cooking isn't up to standards."

"It's handled." Jennifer's voice came and everyone looked to where Jennifer, Illia, Melissa and Chris came in, their arms full of bags. "Nothing against you, Granli, but I wasn't sure if you could do it."

"Probably for the best..." Granli said with a deep sigh as Jennifer started laying things out on a large table that Granli had set with places for the family. "I DO want to learn, but tonight..." She nodded to Anya who was still crying. "We have a bigger concern. Come on, let's eat."

The dinner was a quiet affair. Portia went and put on regular clothes and then sat beside Anya. Anya tried to demure, saying she wasn't hungry, but Granli was having none of it. Anya was shaking so bad, she couldn't hold her utensils, but it didn't matter. Every time she tried to push the bowl of stew away, SOMEONE shoved a full spoon of it in her face. Sometimes, it was Granli, sometimes it was Crado. Once it was Portia! Finally, Anya just gave up resisting and did as instructed. She was still shaking when she tried to pick up her glass to have a drink, so Crado held it for her while she sipped her water, embarrassment flooding her cheeks. Finally, her public humiliation was done and Anya relaxed slightly as Portia and Melissa cleared the table. But then she stiffened again as Jennifer stepped close, her omni-tool flaring to life.

"No..." Anya said quickly, recoiling, only to fetch up against the solid bulk of her husband whose arms encircled her gently. "No... I... I'll be good..."

"It's not a question of good or bad, Anya." Jennifer said sadly. "Your body is reacting to the shocks you have had. You are _going_ to need help to sleep. Granli?" The medic asked quietly. Anya stiffened as the marauder form came close.

"I don't want to sleep!" Anya protested. "I'll dream... I'll see it... again..."

"No, you won't." Granli said gently, laying a hand up against Anya's skull. "Not while I am here, sister. I won't let you face it alone." The kindness in the marauder's tone had everyone smiling a bit sadly. Anya reached up, but, instead of pushing the hand away, she cradled it against her head, squeezing. Granli smiled. "Rest well, Anya." She said as Anya's eyes closed.

Crado lifted his wife as she fell asleep. The medic and the marauder followed him as he carried his wife to their room. He laid her down and stepped back while the two females checked Anya over, then stepped back so he could get her ready for bed. A few minutes later, he stepped away from the bed and nodded to the other two. Granli nodded to Jennifer who set a scanner to monitor Anya. Then all three left the room.

"I am sorry." Crado said as soon as the door hissed shut behind them. "I thought she liked the dress. I really did."

"She _did_ like it, Crado." Granli said mildly. "But..." She shrugged. "She is so strong. I will go sit with her." The others looked at her and Granli shrugged. "This body doesn't need nourishment or sleep." Crado and Jennifer shared a glance and then shrugged in unison. "One thing..." She asked curiously. "Prune juice?"

"Please don't ask..." Crado begged. "Please?"

"If you do anything dumb, it will hurt her." Granli warned. "And I won't stand for that. Clear?"

"Clear." Crado said with a sigh. "I guess I better go help with the dishes." He hugged Granli, gave Jennifer a squeeze and then left.

"If you need anything, let me know." Jennifer said with a sigh. "Thank you, Granli. For being here for her. She is so strong and tough. Seeing her like this is...troubling."

"I am NOT just here for HER, Jennifer." Granli said, pulling the smaller human female into an embrace. "I am here for everyone in our family. How are you?"

"Better." Jennifer said, returning the embrace gratefully. "I have a long way to go, but Illia is helping. She is... amazing." She face turned tender as she looked to where Illia was sitting with Chris, obviously talking about something involving guns if the pantomimes were anything to go by. "I _do_ want to talk to you later. If we can duplicate the EM projectors in your palms in similarly sized devices, it could help in a number of medical fields. But for tonight... Anya."

"Anya." Granli agreed quietly, hugging Jennifer again and then stepping back to go back into Anya's room. But then everything stopped as a recognizable sound came. Gunshot. Granli staggered from the room, hand plastered against her chest. Illia, Chris and Kai were right there, holding her as Granli fell to her knees. "Get down..." She begged them. "Cerberus..." She screamed. "_Anya!_"

Crado had a pistol in hand and Illia lit up like a Christmas tree as Chris scooped Portia up and darted away with her. Jennifer was at Granli's side in an instant, scanning the hurt marauder. Kai and Melissa both paused for half a second and then drew weapons of their own before seeking cover.

"Mika!" Crado shouted. "Security breach, living quarters!"

"On it!" Mika replied.

A form in Cerbrerus armor appeared in the doorway to Anya's room, but it wore no helmet. Pedro Wilson-Fuentes' face was calm as he looked around the room. Then he smiled.

"Welcome home, girls." Then energy filled the room.


	70. Chapter 70

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Crado snapped as he ducked another burst of power and snapped off a shot at the still smirking Wilson-Fuentes. His eyes went wide as the man took the round between the eyes and nothing happened. "It's not real! It's a holo!"

"You wish, alien scum!" The man said with a smirk as he raised his hands and blue fire danced from them again. The first time, Melissa and Jennifer had been caught in it and now slumped beside Granli's still form. If not for his link to them, he would have thought the marauder dead. But through the odd link he had through Melissa and Jennifer, he could tell Granli's body was repairing itself. "You will all die." The man snapped, drawing Crado's attention back. Crado snarled, his ire up.

"I think not." The soldier shouted and threw a pulse of energy of his own at the man. His eyes widened as the man...wavered for a moment and then stabilized. But Crado had seen. "It's a drone of some kind!" Crado snapped, calling out to the others. Chris had Portia down behind a couch, out of sight and in reasonable cover from energy. The fabric wouldn't stop bullets, but there hadn't been any and now he knew why. "Overloading!" He called. He knew Chris didn't use omni-tools much. Portia didn't have the gear or training, but...

A wave of energy came from the side and Crado's eyes went wide as Kai spun into view, an odd looking sword in hand. As she spun, waves of biotic energy erupted from her, narrowly missing the unconscious trio and slamming into the still smirking form in Cerberus armor. Before it could recover, Crado hit it with another pulse. The image wavered and vanished. Then the turian fired three careful shots, clipping the now visible combat drone before it would move, destroying it's power source. The tiny machine fell to the ground sparking as Crado rolled to his feet.

"Help them!" Crado snapped as he ran to the door of his and Anya's bedroom. "What the...?" He exclaimed as he ran full tilt into a blue shimmering field that had appeared in his path. The physical pain was secondary. He couldn't help his wife! "No!" He screamed, beating on the kinetic barrier.

"Status on medical?" Kai asked as she checked on the others. Portia remained where she was, good girl.

"Thirty seconds." Mika replied. "Their vitals are strong. That field is NOT part of the station systems. I cannot access it. I am reading a portable power generator in the room, Crado." She said, her voice worried.

"Crado!" Chris called from where he stood by the weapon's locker that Anya and Crado had insisted on placing in the main room of the suite. He pulled something out and threw it to Crado. The turian smiled grimly as he caught the rifle. It was heavy as hell, but then again... an M-99 Saber was NEVER light. THIS one had a specialized scope and extended barrel. He preferred his Phaeston, but if one had to shoot through walls...

He took aim through the scope and smiled again as the IR systems showed him the scene through the wall. One humanoid, supine on the bed. Even on IR, he could recognize his mate anywhere. Another humanoid for was bending over the woman on the bed. The IR systems fuzzed, picking up odd energy. A swift scan showed another hotspot near the door. One he recognized from the war.

"Cerberus generator, right of door!" He called and saw through his peripheral vision as Chris stepped up, a pistol in hand. "One hostile, targeting." He drew a bead on the standing form.

"Alive." Chris said quietly, making Crado pause. "We need answers."

"Right." Crado said slowly, his anger fading and training taking over. He abandoned his headshot and took aim on the midsection of the standing form. The form jerked, spinning in place, obviously warned by something and Crado fired.

The M-99 Saber was not a regular battle rifle. It was rare and expensive. It was also much larger and heavier than the standard Alliance issue Avenger rifle and even the newer Valkyrie rifle that had been issued just before the Reapers had invaded. It was bulky, awkward and basically next to useless in close quarters battle. But it DID have some serious advantages, which was why various units had assigned the weapon to select marksmen. It hit like the main battery of a dreadnought and it was insanely accurate. Even without the precision scope of a sniper rifle, regular marksmen had been known to pull off five or six headshots in a row with it. Regular troops armed with them had been known to drop Brutes with a single shot on occasion. Even without the special modifications Crado had made to this one, it likely would have plowed through the wall with little problem. And since he aimed at what would be the base of the spine on a human... He squeezed the trigger.

Even braced, the recoil of the massive rifle threw him back a bit. A fist sized hole appeared in the wall in front of him and a blood curdling scream sounded from the next room, but Crado was busy retargeting. He took aim at the generator and fired again as the IR form of the human fell. The generator didn't have a chance. The sound of energy discharging came from the room and the blue field blocking the door flickered and vanished.

"Go!" Crado called as the kinetic barrier fell. Chris was through the door instantly and Crado a half step behind him, rifle up and ready. What met his gaze had him freezing in horror.

Anya lay on the bed, her eyes open, but unseeing. Several wires led from a device beside her to a collar that ringed her neck, an odd shaped thing that covered her eyes and wires that went into her ears. Tears were falling in sheets as she lay, obviously unable to move. A moaning form in Cerberus armor lay next to the bed, the pistol he had apparently been holding lying nearby but both of its hands covered on the huge hole that had been blasted completely thought his abdomen. Crado stepped in and moved to the side, clearing the door, but the aim point of his monster rifle never left the writhing form.

"Medic!" Chris called as he kicked the pistol away from the writhing form. "Anya?" He asked, uncertain. "Can you hear me?" Everything stopped as Anya spoke.

"Chris?" She asked, her voice slurred, uncertain. "Help. Can't move. Dark... Cold..." She made a noise of fear. "I am scared..."

"What did you _do_ to her, you Cerberus scum?" Crado demanded. Every fiber of his being demanded he hurt the now still form in front of him. But Anya was more important than his anger. He stepped forward, placing himself between the bed and the Cerberus engineer. "Get that off of her!"

"Ripping it off may be the worst thing we can so, Crado." Chris said, his tone sick. "I don't know _what_ this is, Jennifer might."

"Jennifer is out cold." Kai said, entering slowly so as not to upset either of the angry me. "She, Melissa and Granli are alive. I..." She stiffened. "Wait a minute..." She said with a scowl. "You!" She snapped as she stepped forward. The anger in her voice actually had Crado back off a step. His aim did not waver however as she stepped up beside the slumped engineer and pulled off his helmet. "Carlo! You ignorant _fuck!_ What have you _done?_"

"The master commanded her obedience..." The slumped engineer said in a monotone. "She resists..."

"Well, duh!" Kai snapped, placing a pressure bandage on the man's wound. "Of course she is going to resist. It is what she _does_." She activated her omni-tool and smiled grimly. "You are not going to die. Medical is here. Good shot Crado." She said. The turian shrugged and did not respond. Kai shook her head. "This is...odd... C-Flat Viridian says he sounds...odd to her senses. What have you done, Carlo?"

"Carlo." The turian soldier said slowly, still not shifting his aim from the Cerberus soldier. "Isn't he the one who was caught when Anya found Mika?"

"Yes." The voice of the female stuck in the computer voice was flat. "He was my caretaker. He is a sadistic piece of crap. I..." Mika's voice broke off and then she spoke sharply. "I am reading energy spiking in that room. Something in there just activated!" Everyone froze for a moment and then backed up a step as Carlo's eyes opened. But they were pure black!

**You will not take what is ours**. The man's voice sounded oddly resonant. As if it came from far away.

"What the hell?" Kai asked for everyone. "What is happening?"

"I don't know!" Crado said sharply, placing himself between his still immobile wife and the Cerberus minion.

**You have damaged this thrall. This thrall took what was promised. None shall deny.** The Cerberus engineer lay quiet, but his head swiveled to look at each. **The human female will serve as promised.**

"Thrall?" Crado said softly. Then understanding dawned. "Leviathan! No... _No!_" He snapped. "You can't have her!"

"Crado..." Anya begged as power flared around her. "Help!" She begged, then she convulsed. But then she went limp. Everyone stared as she reached up and pulled the devices from her head. Her eyes were pure black!

**The bargain is met. **The voice of the ancient beings known as Leviathan came from Anya's mouth as she rose to her feet, oddly graceful, but disjointed.

"Let." Crado said, drawing bead on Anya's head. "Her. Go."

**You will not shoot.** The voice of the Leviathan was cold and factual. **You too will serve. All here will serve as promised.**

"Who promised?" Kai asked softly. "Pedro Wilson-Fuentes?" Anya's black eyes swiveled to face Kai.

**He promised thralls to take the place of the ones lost.** Leviathan said in a pleased tone. **We require service. You will serve.**

"No, we won't." Kai shook her head. "We had wondered what happened to you after the war ended. Not that most of us could care less, you amoral fishbaits. He was in no position to bargain." She snapped.

**You are his offspring. **Leviathan replied. **He gave you to us. Submit.**

"He ...what?" Kai snapped, actually shocked. Then she sighed. "Every time..." She mused. "Every time I think I know how deep his evil went... He finds something new."

**The bargain is met.** Leviathan said with a hint of impatience. **Submit!**

"Whatever you gave him, you lost." Kai said with a savage smile. "He lied to you. We are _not_ your servants. We are _not_ your thralls and we will _die_ before we become such!"

**No!** The Leviathan snapped. **You _will_ serve!**

"Will we?" Kai asked softly. "Crado! There!" She called, pointing to a corner where an shape lay hidden in shadow. A sphere. Crado didn't speak, he spun and fired. The alien artifact offered little resistance to the high powered rifle and exploded. Everything went dark for a moment, and a high pitched scream came from Anya's lips. It cut off as she collapsed, a puppet with her strings cut. "Anya!" Kai snapped, as she went to her knees beside her sister.

"How did you know?" Anya's soft, pained query had Crado smiling. He looked at the Cerberus engineer, but the man lay still. A glance showed he wasn't going to move again. Indeed, his body hissed and flared. In moments it was gone. Cerberus never did like leaving bodies of troops behind for analysis. "You... Did you ever...?" She gasped as something hurt.

"Don't move, sis." Kai said quietly. Medical personnel crowded in and Kai stepped back. "Easy with her. She's had a rough day." She cautioned the medics who nodded and started working. "But to answer your question, Anya. No. I never had any dealings with Leviathan or it's thralls. I read a few classified reports that Cerberus...um... 'borrowed'." She actually looked a bit sheepish as Crado stared at her. "Hey!" She protested. "Don't look at _me_ like that. _I_ didn't steal them."

"Then... how...?" Anya gasped in pain as a medic touched a sore spot, but lay quiet.

"C-Flat Viridian's mother _has_ had some dealings with Leviathan." Kai said with a touch of heat. "Or more appropriately, Leviathan has _tried_ to steal some of her children. She does _not_ take that lightly. C-Flat Viridian told me to look for the sphere. It had to be here."

"And the rest?" Chris asked from where he was examining the few shards left of the sphere. "All that junk that was on her?"

"I don't know. Keep her in place for the enthrallment to take hold?" Kai said softly, but underneath lay anger. "Maybe soften her up? It usually took a lot more time to enslave an unwilling subject from what I understand. Wait... How did Carlo get out of detention? He _was_ there last I checked."

"If he was a thrall of Leviathan..." Crado said slowly. "Then whoever was on guard likely didn't have a chance..."

"This is odd..." Mika's voice was subdued. "I am reading Carlo still there on the sensors. The vid shows him sleeping in his cell."

"Crap." Anya said sadly. "We have been hacked. Mika?"

"Yes, Anya?" The cyborg woman asked gently.

"Did Norilossa's story check out?" Anya asked, not resisting as one of the medics slathered medi-gel against her head where a burn shone.

"Yes." Mika said after a moment. "She _is_ the last of her family, and they _did_ die in a Yagh attack." Mika paused. "Anya... It could be an attempt to use your sympathy to gain your trust."

"Which is why we won't trust her." Anya said with nod that had her freezing as the medics snarled at her. "Okay, okay... I'll be good..." She said with a sigh. "Crado, I need you to set up a group of people to watch her. Put Drolis on it."

"You sure, Anya?" Crado said dubiously. "He isn't exactly...stable."

"Yes." Anya sighed and closed her eyes as the medics worked, pulling bits of...something from her scalp. "At least _now_ we know what the implants on my optic nerves were for. He hooked that thing directly to my brain. Couldn't do a thing." She grimaced and spoke to the medics. "How does it look?"

"We need to check you out further." The head medic replied slowly. "Plan on spending the night."

"Need to clean up anyway." Crado said with a sigh as he looked at where the dead Cerberus minion had been and the shattered sphere.

"That won't be the only one." Anya said with a shudder as the medics finished up. "I could hear what was said, as if from a long ways away. If Pedro Wilson Fuentes _did_ bargain with the Leviathans, then that won't be the only enthrallment sphere." Crado stiffened and then nodded. "Send teams of three. Do it fast. If any are found, destroy them. The longer they are here, the more exposure we have and the greater chance of any or all of us being enthralled. Check the common areas first. And medical." Crado nodded and hit his com, starting to issue orders. "Granli will be _very_ vulnerable." Anya said with a shudder. Then she paused. "Is she...?"

"I am fine, Anya." Granli said as she staggered into the room, Portia helping to the marauder to stand. "It was not a direct hit."

"Right." Anya said with a sigh. She shook her head. "You are leaking." Granli stared at herself and shuddered at the sight of mechanical fluids seeping down her front, but did not waver. Anya relaxed as best she could. "I think _both_ of us will be spending the night in medical, Granli."

"This body will self repair." Granli protested. "I can be of..." She paused as Anya glowered at her. "You are going to insist, aren't you?" She said sourly.

"Granli." Anya said gently. "You are likely the most vulnerable of all of us to this kind of attack." Granli looked at Anya but did not speak. "We need to be ready. This first attack did not work, but this will not be the only one. If Pedro Wilson-Fuentes _is_ working with the Leviathans..." Anya swallowed heavily. "They killed Reapers, Granli. Contact Obligatha. Warn it."

"I..." Granli nodded and her mechanical eyes dimmed for a moment. "Obligatha thanks you for the warning. It is warning all the other Reapers."

"Good." Anya said and then she snorted a bit. "If you had asked me ten years ago if I would be _worried_ about Reapers..." She said whimsically. One of the medics pulled a gurney into the room and Anya sighed sadly. "I need another hobby. I spend _way_ too much time on those things..."

She visibly relaxed as the medic team carefully rolled her on top of a backboard and lifted her up to place on the gurney.

"Kai?" Anya asked as the medics settled her in place. "We need to know what we are facing. Get with C and her mother. Crado..." Anya said her tone going soft. Her husband looked at her and she smiled. "You are in charge while Granli and I are down. Don't do anything dumb." She warned.

"I know." Crado said with a mock shudder. "You know where to get prune juice." Anya was laughing quietly as the gurney was wheeled out of the room. Granli followed, Portia still helping her to stand. "Kai?" Crado asked softly when Kai stayed behind.

"Melissa and Jennifer are already there." Kai said with a shrug. She was shaking slightly. "Of all the horrible things... Leviathan..." She swallowed.

"You did well." Crado said gently, taking her hands in his. "Chris?" He said as the other human started cleaning desultorily. "Melissa will wake up confused and scared. Go." He said with quiet force. Chris looked at him and shook his head. "Chris..." Crado said sadly. "Go." He commanded.

"I can't leave you guys alone." Chris replied soberly. "What if there is another of those...things...here?" He asked.

"According to what I read..." Crado said softly. "It takes several days of close proximity to those spheres to allow Leviathan to access people. They tested them heavily during the war and observed the results of spheres dropped behind Reaper lines. So there has to be one where that Carlo creep was. In detention or near Mika. Unless he pulled it with him, put it in here." Crado paused. "Mika? Can you sense those things?"

"I didn't pick up anything in the room until the energy started spiking." Mika said, worried. "And they only do that when it takes control, yes?"

"Yes." Crado said with a sigh. "Chris. Take care of _your_ love. We will be okay." Crado said with a sigh that Kai shared. Chris looked from one to the other and then nodded and was out the door. Crado squeezed Kai's hands again, then let her go. He paused, looking at the hilt that stuck up behind her back. "Where did you get _that_?" He asked. "That is not a phantom sword, is it?"

"No." Kai said with a grin as he reach up and slowly drew the blade. It shimmered oddly in the light. "Rachni don't generally go for bladed weapons, their claws make very efficient natural weapons." Crado looked at her and Kai flushed. "I made an offhand comment about missing my sword and C-Flat Viridian had this made for me." Crado stared from her to the sword and back and Kai shrugged. "I _really_ better watch my mouth. She takes my happiness _very_ seriously. I was trying out various techniques including a few Anya cleared me for from the N7 repertoire when I was called to dinner." She looked sad for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Crado asked gently.

"I don't know." Kai admitted. "The rachni songs are marvelous." She said with a smile that faded. "But..."

"But?" Crado asked, pressing gently.

"I don't know." Kai said softly. "This isn't jealousy, although I am a bit. Jealous that is." Crado looked at her and Kai flushed. "I see you and Anya, Chris and Melissa, Illia and Jennifer and I am outside, looking in..." The former phantom shook her head. "I am happy for all of you, but..." She broke off and sighed.

"You are alone and we are not." Crado said softly. She nodded, obviously unable to speak and then she gave a squeak as he pulled her close. "I know how you feel." Crado said sadly. "After... After Anya..." He swallowed heavily. "After Sanctum, I was... I watched my people with each other. But I couldn't. Several offered, but I couldn't. I crawled into a bottle instead after the battle for Earth." He said lamely. But then he straightened. "Kai? Does C-Flat Viridian demand all of your time?"

"What?" Kai asked, nonplussed. "No, but... No..." She said sharply, pulling away. "Oh, no you don't!"

"Kai." Crado said quietly, not pursuing her. "Humans and turians are both social animals. You trained yourself to be alone. Just like me. But it hurts you."

"Do _not_ try to match make me!" The swordswoman snapped, backing away.

"I am not." Crado said with a small smile. "Do you have _any_ idea what Anya would do to me if I pushed you into _anything?_ Let alone Jennifer, Melissa, Portia... Granli?" He shuddered dramatically. Kai surprised herself with a small chuckle as he cringed dramatically when he said he first mate's name. But then he sobered. "Kai... You need to socialize with people other than C-Flat Viridian. I bet she says the same thing."

"She..." Kai paused and tilted her head as if listening, then she snarled half heartedly. "You are _both_ a pair of mother hens!" She complained. "I can take care of myself!" She protested.

"I know that." Crado said with a grin. "I am not pushing you into anything, sister." He said tenderly and Kai stared at him. "I am being a worried brother. Its part and parcel of what family is supposed to be for, Kai." She stared at him and then suddenly she was crying. "Hey.." He embraced her gently again and held her while she sobbed. "It's okay Kai..." He soothed her. "It will be okay..."


	71. Chapter 71

"I don't think this is a good idea, Crado." Kai said, half hiding behind turian soldier's bulk as the pair of them entered what had become the common area of the facility. The former phantom looked oddly small and submissive. "I'm..."

"Kai." Crado said with a sigh. "You need to get out. You need to do more than practice your sword forms. Tell me I lie."

"You don't." Kai admitted softly. "But... I..." She shook her head. "Crado, your people _hate_ Cerberus. I don't think I ever fought your team, but I don't know for sure. I _did_ fight other N7 Special Ops teams." She hung her head. "I did what I was trained to. I killed..." She said softly.

"Kai." Crado said, taking her hand in his. "It's okay. I am not saying that there will not be problems, because there will." He gave her hands a squeeze and then released them. "It will be okay. We could both use something to drink." He paused as she glanced at him and then he winced. "Non-alcoholic. I do not want to be dragged out by my mandible again." He said with a chuckle. "And for the record I was going to order fruit juice." Kai just looked at him and he shrugged. "Okay, don't believe me. But I don't want to have prune juice poured down my throat again." He said with a shudder.

"What did you _do_ to tick her off?" Kai asked as they both got drinks. Fruit juice for both of them. "I mean... You _had_ to anger her fairly thoroughly to get her to do something like that."

"A bar fight." Crado said with a smile of fond memory. "It was the usual thing. Bunch of Twelfth Fleet marines started making comments about the Amiger. We had a rule in the Amiger. Insult us as you wish. Insult the Legion and there _will_ be trouble." He said with a fond smile of memory. "We were...insane, but in a good way. " Kai looked at him and he shrugged. "Insults to me, I can take. Insults to the Legion demanded a good shellacking, but... Insults to Anya... not so much." The turian said with a sigh. "But this was before I knew Anya well." He said with a shrug. "She was my commander, and I admired her. When one of the young dumb grunts made a comment about bestiality in reference to her, I hurt him. Bad." Kai's eyes went wide and Crado shrugged. "I put him in medical for a week. It was wrong. But hey... I was drunk... I didn't _mean_ to put him through the table. Then _his_ pals piled on, and my teammates piled on and it got messy."

"I think I heard something about that." Kai said slowly. "Something about a quarter million credits worth of property damage?" She asked, incredulous.

"There were about two hundred people involved. Most soldiers. We trashed a good chunk of Purgatory, yes." Crado said with a sigh. "C-Sec called in the riot squad, but Anya stopped it..." He said with a sigh. "She got out of the hospital, walked into Purgatory and just... flattened us all." He sighed as Kai's eyes went wide. "She had help. I saw Aria T'Loak throwing people around and a few other asari." He went still. "I still remember the look she gave me. When they pulled all the other guys off me and found me at the bottom of the pile that had started it. She was..." He sighed. "She was so disappointed. She didn't _say_ anything, but I could see it. It hurt, you know? Even before I found out she paid for the damage from her own funds."

"I know." Kai said with a nod. "Our Nanny -Nanny Sara- never raised her voice. She just got quiet, and when she started talking about how 'disappointed' in you she was... You just wanted to curl up under the rug and _die_." Kai said with a grimace.

"That is where she learned it?" Crado said with a shudder. "I would almost prefer getting shot."

"So... Prune juice?" Kai asked softly. Crado groaned, but led the way to a table that had openings. He sat in one and Kai sat in another. Several of the other occupants looked at Kai but nodded to Crado before going back to what they were doing.

"I was... a little drunk." Crado said with a shiver.

"A _little_?" An asari nearby asked with a lilt in her voice. "Talking about the prune juice, are we?" She nodded to Kai. "Hi, I am Lorinia."

"Kai." The former phantom said with a small nod. "Crado said I needed to get out." She shrugged.

"You do." Lorinia said with a nod. "We see Melissa and Jennifer a _lot_ more than we see you. Some people wonder if you skulk naturally or if it is a learned talent." She said with a grin that faded. "We know who you are and what you were." Lorinia leaned close and spoke conspiratorially. "I would have killed that admiral a _lot_ slower. Most of us would have."

"I am not proud of what I did." Kai said softly. "He had no chance against me. But I couldn't just... just..." She shook her head. "I saw him walk towards that poor kid with that soldering iron in hand and I couldn't just walk away... I couldn't..."

"You killed him before he hurt the little boy again." Lorinia said with a nod. "It's a cruel and uncaring universe we live in, Kai Solinus. But sometimes we can make a difference."

"I have been dealing with it since it happened." Kai said soberly. "And then my parents' reaction didn't help."

"They wouldn't have been happy, would they?" Lorinia asked rhetorically. "What did they do to you?" She froze as Kai went white. Everyone nearby froze at Kai's desolate expression.

"Please..." Kai said in a very soft voice. "Don't ask me that." Something wafted through her from C-Flat Viridian, an admonition.

"Kai..." Crado said gently. laying an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close as she fought not to cry. "It's okay. We all understand. You don't need to talk about it."

"I..." Kai shuddered a bit, but then shook herself. "C-Flat Viridian says I should. She says it might help..." She said with a slightly sick smile. "I... You know what I was." It wasn't a question but Lorinia answered anyway.

"A phantom." The asari said in a worried voice. "We only met them in battle. We know they were heavily augmented."

"You don't know the half of it." Kai said with a sigh as she nodded to Crado and sat back. The turian released her, but stayed close. "The implants and augments were the least of it. Hypno conditioning, drugs..." Kai shook her head. "Most phantoms had about as much free will as your gun does. You got orders and you did as ordered. Or they hurt you until you did."

"How did you break free?" Lorinia asked, concerned.

"Well... I didn't." Kai said with a mirthless smile. "I just broke." Her gaze went far away and her speech was disjointed now. "I remember... I had orders to talk to the admiral, to get in undetected and then get out. I was supposed to get a report from him." The others looked at her and Kai shrugged. "Not hard to sneak onto a military base sometimes."

"Especially for a phantom." Lorinia said quietly, not wanting to interrupt.

"Yeah." Kai nodded. "Mostly it was patience and skill that got me past the perimeter. Then I used a disguise to get past the guards at the door. They were professional..." Kai said, not seeing anything around her, her eyes were focused on the past. "But I did have an appointment as my cover identity." She sighed deeply. "And I wonder if they knew what the admiral was doing? I mean... _Someone_ had to see it when he brought those poor kids in."

"More than one?" Lorinia breathed in horror. " How many...?"

"Eleven. He kept their heads." Kai said with a growl that would not have been out of place on a varren. "He was...proud of his trophies...He showed them off like they were his prized possessions. Maybe they were." She was shaking hard now and she barely noticed when Lorinia and Crado both held her. "I got the report. He asked me if I wanted to watch him finish his twelfth. He was so proud of his skill in finding and...acquiring subjects for his twisted games. He said it would take the latest of his 'toys' a day to expire. He opened at hidden door and that poor kid was chained there." Kai took a deep, shuddering breath and then calmed slightly. "Next thing I know, the guy was lying on the ground with my sword through his back and the kid was crying... What the hell was I supposed to do?" Kai asked, tears falling.

"I don't know." Lorinia said, giving Kai a squeeze. "It's not like you could have gone to the authorities."

"He was the commander of the _base_." Kai said with a sob as she embraced the asari. "He had everything all sewn up. Mom and dad were _not_ happy when I killed him. I..." She slumped a bit. "I don't know everything they did to me. When I got back, my memory goes all fuzzy. I _do_ know they took out most of my implants. They didn't trust me in the field again until they needed someone to snatch Anya." A growl went around the table and Kai nodded. "I know. I just... She was my sister. I missed her. She was a pain in the butt but I loved her. When they told me I would be bringing her back to the family, I was ecstatic. I didn't think about how _she_ would react. I nearly got her killed because I wanted my little sister back."

Kai was one step removed from a complete breakdown when she felt C-Flat Viridian come into her mind. The rachni was worried but calm. The rachni's calm acceptance of who and what Kai was and had been soothed the woman. She sent a wordless feeling of thanks to the rachni and smiled a bit sadly as she opened her eyes. What met them had her freezing, Everyone at her table was crowding around her, offering support.

"It's okay, Kai." Crado said as he held her gently. "Every one of us has done things that hurt us. You gonna talk to Lisa or Kelly?" He asked carefully.

"I don't want to." Kai said softly. "But I have to, don't I?"

"This can and will destroy you if you let it, girl." Lorinia said with a nod. The group around them broke up. "That would be a shame."

"All I know if fighting and killing." Kai said slowly. "They found me a job when I couldn't... When Jennifer said I was..." She swallowed heavily and shook her head. "She was kind, so gentle. But I wasn't stable enough to go out into the field again. Not for years. I demanded to be on the team that snatched Anya, but... I just wanted to see her again. To apologize." Kai said in a monotone. "Was it wrong for me to want my little sister back?" She asked the asari.

"What you did was wrong." Lorinia said soberly. "Kidnapping is wrong, Kai." She said sternly. "But why? I bet your parents used your love for her like they used everything else."

"Probably." Kai said with a sigh. "Some tough warrior woman I turned out to be, huh?"

"Yes you did, Kai Solinus, formerly Kai Wilson-Fuentes." A new voice came and Crado stiffened as a human male approached. His dark hair was cut very short and his blue eyes were piercing. He had the look of a colonist. The polyglot of cultures that had emigrated from Earth had made for some...interesting physical characteristics. "You killed the scum. You freed that boy, tended his wounds, sat with him and held him while he cried. Then you took him to the hospital and left him where he would be found." The man said slowly. Kai looked up and froze in seeing a sword hilt stuck up behind the man's shoulder. "Quincy Kang. Alliance Special Forces." He said in greeting. "I am not here to fight." He said mildly as Kai went completely still.

"I wouldn't anyway." Kai said relaxing slowly. "I am sick of fighting."

"I understand." The man, Quincy, said with a nod. "I am here with a 'thank you'." Kai stared at him and he smiled. "Thank you for my nephew's life, Kai Solinus." Kai's eyes went wide and everyone around her stiffened as well. But the soldier was speaking again. "My sister had given up hope. Hope you returned to her." He bowed formally to her, one swordsman to another.

"I..." Kai stammered, shocked.

"Don't get me wrong." Quincy said with a sad smile. "I don't _like_ my sister. I think she is a ditz, completely clueless to this day. But having her little boy vanish on the way to school hurt her worse than anything else could have. She grew up more in those horrible days before he was found in the ER than all the rest of her life combined. And then to find out why... And _who_ had done it..." The man shook his head. "I may not like my sister, but I _do_ love her and her kids. Thank you." He repeated.

"I don't deserve your thanks." Kai protested sharply. "I was a monster. Am still..." She said with a swallow. A sharp sound pierced her mind for a moment as C-Flat Viridian sent disapproval to her. She felt her eyes cross as the rachni poured sternness into her, a sharp rebuke. She sent an apology to the rachni and the queen relented, but there was still the hint of disapproval. The rachni did _not_ like Kai putting herself down.

"I think C-Flat Viridian agrees with the rest of us." Kang said mildly. "And I have something for you."

"Me?" Kai asked slowly, unsure. She went still as Kang pulled a wrapped object from a pocket and held it out to her. It was perhaps 20 centimeters in length. The way he held it... He held it in the middle, holding it out for her to grasp with both hands. Like a sword. She stared at it for a moment, and then slowly, carefully reached out and took it. It was heavier than she expected and she nearly dropped it. It was long, oval in cross section and... She froze. "No..." She breathed. "I can't..." She begged the man who looked at her with a small smile.

"Open it, Kai Solinus." Kang said gently. His soft words held command and she did slowly unwrapping the soft cloth that covered the object. It was a tanto. A very short Japanese sword, more dagger than sword. It's saya was covered in lettering that she could not decipher and the hilt was the ancient style of the Japanese swords, ray skin covered with leather wrappings. Just looking at it, it was easy to see that it was hundreds of years old. It had no guard, much like Kai and Kang's swords come to think of it. She stared at it, dumbfounded. "That is yours now." The man said gently.

"I can't." Kai begged, her eyes starting to burn. She started to put it down on the table, but the soldier held up a hand to forestall her."I am unworthy."

"I beg to differ." Kang said, a hush sweeping the room as everyone paused to stare at the tableau that was unfolding. "You saved the life of my nephew. You slew the one who took him and hurt him." Kai was shaking her head in disbelief but he wasn't done. "My family is old, Kai Solinus. We lost many during the Reaper War, but we survived. We have many traditions amongst the various branches. But one thing has remained true through them all. You did my family a _great_ service. We pay our debts. The sword is only a symbol of the debt we owe."

"Crado..." Kai begged as tears started to fall. "Help."

"You are doing fine, Kai." Crado said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder to offer support. She stared at the sword in her hands, as if unable to look away. "You came all this way to say 'thank you'?" Crado asked Kang.

"I would have come anywhere in the galaxy." Kang said with quiet certainty. "But that wasn't my only reason. Someone else would like to talk to you, Kai Solinus." Crado stiffened and everyone else did as well. Kai stared up at Crado, not comprehending. "Jaing?"

"Yes, honored uncle." A soft voice pulled Kai's eyes to the door. She froze, shocked, as a small form stepped into her sight. The boy was maybe fifteen. His black hair was cut short, and his face was a mask of old scars, but his green eyes were alive with life and sympathy as he looked at Kai. Bits of his body that were visible through his clothes also showed scars. Kai shook her head as she recognized him. He looked a lot better than the last time she had seen him, but it had been memorable. Modern medicine could heal a lot, but the boy had been _very_ badly hurt. The boy nodded to her soberly. "Ma'am." He said formally. Everyone in the room had frozen on seeing the boy but _now_ everyone inhaled as they realized who the boy had to be if he called Kang 'Uncle'.

"I am sorry." Kai said in a monotone. "I am sorry I wasn't faster."

"You saved my life, Ma'am." The boy said stolidly. "You saved me from the monster and helped me as best you could. Everything hurt so badly. I was dead, I knew I was dead. But you came and you saved me." More than one set of eyes misted at his quiet declaration. "It hurt you, what you did. You screamed and fell, but then you rose and freed me. You..." He tilted his head as if scrutinizing her. "You are a good woman."

"No I am not." Kai said quietly. "I have done good, on occasion, but I am not a good woman. I hope to be one, now. My sisters are good women. I..." Kai bowed her head. "I am not." She went completely still as a small hand reached into her field of view and drew her chin up to look at the boy.

"Perhaps." The boy said in a tone that was far wiser than his years. "But you _have_ done good. Our family..." He nodded to Kang who nodded back. "...pays our debts." Kai seemed to wilt a bit and then she stared at the sword that lay in her lap. The boy shook his head. "You must not dwell on the past, Ma'am. It will destroy you." Kai jerked and the boy nodded. "You have much to live for, Kai Solinus. We will help." The boy said calmly. Kai stared at him and then at Kang who nodded.

"Our family follows the tenets of Haedong Kumdo, similar to the code of Bushido." Kang said softly. "Similar codes were known all over the Earth, but our ancestors originated in Korea." He shrugged. "Being invaded by the Chinese and Japanese for so many centuries taught my ancestors a lot about honor and survival."

"I..." Kai shook her head and focused a bit. "I don't know anything about that style. I learned a bit about Bushido, but the scum who ran the phantom program did not care about such things." She swallowed. "Then there was Kai Leng who had no honor at all."

"Indeed." Kang said sadly. "A sad thing. Honor is important." Kai nodded.

"For most of my life, I didn't know what honor was." Kai said softly. She nodded to Jaing. "You taught me." The boy's eyes widened fractionally and then he nodded. He bowed to her. She rose slowly and bowed back.

"That is good." Kang said with a smile. Then he sobered. "We were told you were forming a school. Have you formalized a curriculum yet?"

"Not yet." Crado said with a nod. "It's very much a work in progress." He paused and then, he smiled. "Swordsmanship or ethics?"

"Are they different?" Kai asked in the sudden silence that fell. "Make a mistake in either and it hurts." Kang nodded to her and she spoke softly. "I can't speak for Anya. But I think we could use someone to teach ethics and etiquette. I know I could use some polish in a number of things myself." Crado looked at her and then nodded with a smile.

"A man's -or woman's- reach should always exceed his or her grasp." Jaing said with a small smile.

"Indeed." Kai said with a smile as she placed the sword in her hands on the table. "Will you sit with me and speak of many things?"

"Gladly." Kang replied as Jaing came close. Space was made for both of them as Crado and Lorinia stepped away. Kai looked at Crado but he smiled and stepped away.

* * *

"You think she will figure it out?" Lorinia asked as they watched Jaing ask Kai a question to which she relied carefully.

"That Anya and C-Flat Viridian set her up?" Crado replied. "Probably. Will she care? I don't know."

"I don't like this." Lorinia said softly, watching the swordsman closely. "She is far more fragile than she seems. If she thinks she was manipulated into anything..."

"Look." Crado said with a hint of sternness. "Kia was losing it. She needs help and despite her words, she wasn't going to talk to the counselors. Kang was coming anyway. We just... pushed things a little. All we did was bring them here faster. Nothing else." The asari looked at him and he flinched. "Do you have _any_ idea what Anya or Granli would do to me, heck what Melissa or Jennifer -or Portia!- would do to me if I tried to push their sister into anything? We thought it would help."

"You know." Lorinia said with a small smile as Jaing moved to lean against Kai who did not resist. "I think it has..."


	72. Chapter 72

**Later that morning**

"Please stop hovering, Granli." Anya said with a sigh as she left the medical facility. "I am fine."

The marauder looked at her and then looked over to where two other members of the Solinus clan were walking with them. Jennifer and Melissa had also spent the night in Medical. A precaution, but a warranted one. Jennifer shrugged eloquently and Melissa just smiled. Granli made a face, even more of a grimace around the implants that had taken place of her eyes, and sighed deeply.

"Fine?" The marauder asked sourly. "You _still_ have those control implants on your optic nerves, Anya. The docs, even Raan'ita and Dr Lawson, can't remove them safely. That means you and I are the most at risk to further attempts at enthrallment."

"I know." Anya said quietly. She hung her head and shook it. "I know." She repeated.

"Hey." Jennifer was at her side in an instant. "Don't mope, sis." She said with a chiding tone. "We could all use some breakfast I think. Well..." She shrugged as she looked at Granli. "I know 'I' need food. Do you, Granli?"

"Ordinarily, this body does not require nourishment." Granli said with a nod. "But the self repair systems used a lot of resources that need to be replenished." She touched her chest where a bullet had struck her the night before and scowled. "I believe I can use the nutrients in foodstuffs to replenish the stocks. But I am not totally sure. I may need to speak to Obligatha. May I?"

"Granli." Anya said with a long suffering sigh. "You are a free person. You can do as you wish."

"It's your station, Anya." Granli protested, only to fetch up short as Anya stopped and turned suddenly, anger flashing in the human's eyes.

"_Our_." Anya said sharply. "_Our_ station, Granli. Your are _part_ of this family. _You_ have the right to do what you wish as long as it does not endanger anyone or violate the law." The marauder seemed to wilt a bit under Anya's glare and Anya was suddenly contrite. "Oh, Granli, I am sorry. I am scared and I am taking it out on you. That isn't right." She held out a hand to the marauder. "Forgive me?"

"I am scared too, Anya." Granli said, taking Anya's hand in a gentle grip and squeezing it. "Leviathan could take control away from me without warning." She smiled at Anya. "Apology accepted." She squeezed Anya's hand again and let it go.

"We will keep a close eye on you both." Melissa said with a nod as Anya withdrew a step. "We found four more of those spheres, all in the maintenance tunnels. They have all been destroyed." She shuddered a bit and then shook her head. "You never said that room had an access to the maintenance tunnels."

"Secret bolt holes are no good if everyone knows about them." Anya said with a shrug. "No offense."

"None taken." Melissa said with a nod. "I know about wanting an escape hatch. First rule of sniping, leave yourself a way out."

"Have you thought any more about what you want to do instead of sniping?" Anya said with a smile. "I mean, shooting people gets old."

"That it does." Melissa said with a shudder. Then she smiled. "Chris likes the idea of oceanography. And now I find I might have a reason to go hunting on ocean covered worlds." Anya blanched and grabbed for Melissa's arm.

"Don't even _think_ about it, Melissa." Anya said hastily. "Leviathan are probably the single _most_ dangerous race in the galaxy at the moment. They. Don't. Care." Anya emphasized each word with a shake of her sister's limb. "To them all intelligent life in this galaxy are pawns, tools to be used and discarded. We are beneath them. They created the AI that became the Catalyst because they couldn't be _bothered_ to try and fix things themselves." Anya shook her head. "They terrified Shepard, Melissa." Melissa paled and Anya nodded. "You know how brave and tough Shepard was. Those things _terrified_ her."

"I..." Melissa shook her head. "What?" She asked carefully. Jennifer and Granli both stared at Anya and Anya sighed, relaxing.

"I didn't work with Shepard during the war, Melissa." Anya said with a sigh as she pulled her sister close. "There were too few N7 qualified personnel to put any of us in the same places for anything not _insanely_ critical. The most I ever saw in one place at one time was four and that was a really bad situation that needed to be handled right then."

"_Four_?" The other chorused. One N7 at a time was bad enough. What the _hell_ could get four of them to congregate?

"Yeah." Anya said with a sigh. "Thessia, after the fall. It was... bad..." She said, slumping a bit. "_What_ we did is classified, that we were _there_ is not. We made a hell of a stir and my team used the upheaval to free a bunch of prisoners from processing centers. Some hadn't been indoctrinated yet." She shook herself. "Anyway... I talked with Shepard after she found Leviathan. She was shaken, more than any other time I had seen her. Hell, I saw her after Arahot and _that_ messed her up. Leviathan was worse."

The others looked at each other. Commander Shepard had been forced to destroy a mass relay in the Arahot system of the Batarian Hegemony to delay the Reaper invasion. Over three hundred thousand batarians had died in that calamity and the Hegemony had very nearly declared war on the Alliance as a result. All of them knew death, but on such a scale... And for Leviathan to be worse?

"I...see..." Melissa said faintly. "Well, it was only an idea."

"Good." Anya said with a shiver. "They have some kind of EM Pulse defense system that can knock just about anything out of the sky. Shepard saw it take down her shuttle and after she found Leviathan, a capital class Reaper. Bang and it was inert." Everyone else's eyes went wide at that and Anya nodded. " And when she found it? It took control of her mind. If not for her own stubborn tenacity, and the fact that she says she made them curious... She likely wouldn't have survived."

"Fuck me..." Jennifer said softly, her face scared.

"Yeah." Anya said sadly. Then she paused. "Has anyone seen Portia?"

"She was there when I woke up, said she had something to do." Melissa said slowly, her face a reflection of Jennifer's. "She said she would meet us at breakfast."

"Mika, where is Portia?" Anya snapped, her tone worried.

"She is with C-Flat Viridian and Illia, Anya." The gentle voice of the one time gardener said quietly. Anya relaxed. "I don't know what they are discussing, she asked me not to listen in. But her vitals are stable, she is calm."

"Is it paranoia when there ARE people out to get you?" Anya asked sourly as she started off again, her eclectic family following her. "Let's get some breakfast. I AM hungry."

The odd group of females walked into the common area and then stopped just inside the entrance at the sight that greeted them. Kai Solinus stood in a ready position, her sword drawn. She was facing a man who ALSO had a sword drawn. Both swords were held in classic position, in front of the body with the point of the sword at eye level. Anya blanched.

"What the _hell_? Kai?" She snapped, reflexively reaching for her power, but of course it didn't answer her. She shook herself and started forward, but a soft voice from nearby had her pausing.

"They are not fighting, Anya." Crado said from the wall where he and a number of others stood watching. Anya's eyes snapped to her mate and then back to her sister who was circling the older man like a cat, balanced and ready.

"Then what the _hell_ are they doing?" Anya asked with heat.

"They need to see what each knows." A young voice sounded from beside Crado. Anya's eyes went even wider as she saw the human boy standing beside Crado. His scarred face was known to her. "They are sparring."

"With _live_ blades?" Anya asked, aghast. One mistake and someone would die.

"My uncle is a master of Haedong Kumdo." Jaing Kang said calmly. "And from what I have seen of your sister, she is master level as well." He held up a hand to forestall her protests. "They know what they are doing, Anya Solinus. Please, she needs this." He begged her. Anya shook her head slowly, but stepped to stand beside Crado.

"I don't like this." Anya said sadly. Instead of answering, Crado laid an arm around her shoulders and held her. Then motion pulled everyone's eyes to the spectacle in front of them. Anya's eyes nearly fell out of her head as she saw Kai _and_ Kang move almost as one.

Anya had never thought much of the sword. At least, not until she had seen what Phantoms could do with it. Then some of the N7s that she had known had also used swords. Kang and Luci Shin in particular were SCARY with the things. In the hands of someone sneaky who knew it well, a sword could be devastating even in a world where guns normally ruled. But this...

The two opponents danced around each other. Anya had half expected something like Star Wars, where the opponents clashed sabers repeatedly. But then she scoffed silently. Of _course_ they couldn't do that. Steel -even monomolecular steel- did _not_ take kindly to repeated bashing. She had blasted Phantom swords before, leaving the Cerberus ninjas to potshot with palm blasters. It wasn't easy, as fast as Phantoms moved, but it had been _so_ satisfying when she did manage it. The swords blurred and steel belled on steel as the two fought for an advantage. Kang was larger with longer reach, but it seemed that Kai was slightly faster. Maybe. It was nearly impossible to follow the swords as fast as they were moving. Attacks came from up, from down, from the side, from behind, and every time, they were dodged or blocked. Then Anya froze as Kai called out.

"Gained." The former phantom stepped back from Kang with a rueful look on her face. She bowed to Kang who bowed back. "End?" She asked.

"End. I didn't _think_ you would be dumb enough to lower your guard, assuming the fight was done." Kang said with a small smile that came and vanished. "Not that I would want to try to thump you for it."

"The match is yours. You are _very_ good." Kai said with a nod as she spun her sword in a flourish designed to clean blood off it and returned her sword to her back. Kang did likewise. Kai was shaking her head as she fingered a rent in her left sleeve. Anya felt her blood run cold as she saw red in it.

"_Kai!_" Anya screamed as she stepped forward. "Medic! Kang, what have you done?" She demanded.

"Ease up, Anya." Kai said sharply. "I am fine. My guard is weak on the left." She said with a sigh as she showed the distraught sister the cut on her lower arm. "He pulled his strike or my arm would be on the floor." Anya ran up, grabbed Kai's arm, elevated it and held the seeping cut. "Really, Anya..." Kai said with a grimace, but did not resist. "I am fine. That was fun." She said to Kang who nodded.

"You are good." Kang said mildly. "You know your strengths and weaknesses."

"Always room for improvement." Kai said with a shrug. A small medical team bustled in right then and shoved Anya away to tend Kai. Anya snarled but let them move her. "Really, Anya. It's a _cut_... Sheesh..." She said, exasperated.

"Yes, but... Its deeper than you think, Kai Solinus." Kang warned her.

"My arm is still attached and no sprays of arterial blood are coming out." Kai said with a snarl. "A cut." She made a noise of pain as the medics worked, but did not move.

"You may need some sutures. Medi-gel can only do so much." The lead medic said after a moment. "But I suppose that asking you to come now would be fruitless?"

"Yes. But... Thank you." Kai said with a nod. "I will be by after I finish some things. C-Flat Viridian is not going to let me run around and hurt myself." She made a face. "Mother hen rachni... Never thought I would see the day..." She said with a grin. The medic looked at her and then at Anya, who shrugged. He and his team packed up quickly and left. He could be heard to mutter something about 'stubborn females' mostly under his breath. She patted the medi-gel bandage on her arm and then nodded to Kang. "C-Flat Viridian and Anya sent for you." It wasn't a question.

"We were coming anyway." Kang replied equably. "Like I said, my family pays it's debts. You need help."

"I... do." Kai admitted softly. "Even deep meditation doesn't always help. My birth mother and father were unhappy with what I did. They punished me but the damage had already been done. I was broken. Jennifer had to sedate me quite a bit to keep me from harming myself or others." Kang nodded, his face grave. "I am still...not whole." She said softly. "I do not know if I will ever be as I was."

"Everything changes, Kai Solinus." Kang said gently. "You are quite good. We..." He indicated Jaing who nodded soberly. "...can help if you let us." Kai looked at him for a moment and then smiled a bit wistfully. Then she knelt slowly into formal posture and bowed her head.

"I would be honored." She said softly. Kang nodded.

"Then get up off the floor before Luci gets here." The other N7 said with a sigh. "If SHE sees you acting like that she will HAVE to try and thump you. It's her nature, she has to show she can take anyone, even people she can't."

"_Luci_ is coming?" Anya asked, her tone apprehensive. "Ah..."

"The Alliance has decided that you need minders, Anya." Kang said with a small smile for her discomfort. "You need guards who can keep up with you. Even without biotics, you _will_ be hard to guard." He chuckled softly at her expression. "And I was hoping to have the chance to teach."

"You would be welcome here, Kang." Anya said after a glance at Crado who nodded. "But... Luci...?"

"From what I understand, the plan is to rotate various qualified personnel through." Kang said with a nod. "And..." He sighed. "We are all getting older. Even with synthesis, we are _all_ slowing down. None of us are nineteen anymore."

"I know, my friend." Anya said with a nod as she stepped up to him and bowed formally. "We would be honored to have you and... your nephew?" She looked at Jaing who nodded back.

"His mother heard about a new school, run by one of my classmates from ICT." Kang replied. "She was hoping..." He tailed off as Anya looked at him. "He can be a bit of a handful."

"Oh?" Anya asked softly, looking at Jaing who looked uncomfortable. She raised an eyebrow and he bowed to her. "And what kind of trouble have you gotten into recently, young man?"

"Ah..." Jaing swallowed heavily but met her eyes. "There was an incident at school." He broke off and shrugged, but Anya just looked at him and he looked decidedly embarrassed now.

"What did he do?" Anya asked Kang carefully.

"A group of bullies had cornered another boy. They were assaulting him, both verbally and physically." Kang said with a glower. "He didn't like the odds, so he attacked them." Jaing wilted under his uncle's glare.

"How many?" Anya asked calmly. Jaing muttered something and Anya glared at him herself. "How many, young man?"

"Six, ma'am." Jaing said softly. Anya looked at him and then at the elder Kang who shrugged.

"Six." Anya said softly. "Weapons?"

"Officially, the school is a no weapon zone." Kang said with a nod. "But... Three of them were carrying crude improvised weapons and one had an antique projectile weapon concealed. Jaing was unarmed." Anya stiffened but Kang just smiled a little, that same half visible fleeting grin. "They had no chance."

"Injuries?" Anya asked, her tone bemused. Crado looked form the swordsman to the now stiffly erect boy. _Everyone_ was staring at Jaing now, including Kai whose gaze was speculative.

"I broke Saun's wrist." Jaing said apologetically. "I didn't mean to, he moved the wrong way..." The boy said quickly. "I didn't mean to." He repeated worriedly.

"He was drawing his _gun_, Jaing." Kang said with a touch of heat. It sounded like old exasperation. He shook his head and nodded to Anya. "That boy will be in rehabilitation for some time while his wrist is put back together. The other had minor injuries. ALL were suspended for some time. The boy with the gun was expelled and the others nearly expelled for violating the weapons ban and bullying their classmates." He shook his head. "I _do_ think they learned their lesson."

"Size matters not." Anya said with a smile. She and Kang shared an amused half smile but then she sighed. "And... What do you want _me_ to teach him? From what you and he have said, he knows how to fight."

"I know how to fight, Ma'am." Jaing said softly. "But I need to work on _when_ to." Anya's eyes went wide.

"You..." She stammered and stared from the younger Kang to the older one and then back. "Quincy,... I... I am _not_ the one to teach that. You _know_ me."

"We _all_ need to learn a better way, Anya." Kang said gently. "And what better way to learn than to teach? You know more about ethics and restraint in stressful situations than anyone else I have met, Anya. You had _krogan_ working with you and apparently glad to follow you. Anyone who can have a debate with krogan -without weapons-..." He broke off as she groaned. "Anya, the interviews you gave were broadcast to all of Council space. We are proud of you, battle sister." He said with a nod.

"I..." Anya shook her head and smiled a bit ruefully. "Things have gotten complex, battle brother. We need to talk, and yes, if you could get the _other_ N7s in on this, I would appreciate it. Leviathan is on the move." Kang's still face actually cracked for a moment, but then he nodded soberly. Anya nodded in return and then looked at Jaing. "Well... We do need to start formalizing a curriculum. But for right now, I have a request. My youngest sister, Portia is almost ten. And..." She grimaced. "She was raised in a very sheltered environment."

"She has the common sense of a houseplant." Melissa said from where she had been lurking. Kang spun to see her and then he paused, seeing Granli, but his hand only twitched when the marauder did not move or attack.

"Right, Jang Kang, Quincy Kang, let me introduce my _other_ sisters of the Clan Solinus." Anya said formally. "Melissa, Jennifer and Granli." Each nodded in turn to the swordsman and his nephew.

"Anya..." Kang's control slipped and he shook his head with a wide, rueful grin. "It is always _something_ with you, isn't it?" He said with a laugh.

"You know her well." Granli replied for all of them.

"Oh, I could tell you some stories..." The male N7 said with a smile. Anya glared at him and he shrugged. "But if she is going be my boss again, I don't want to get on her bad side the first day."

"I give it... Oh, twenty minutes." Anya said with a sigh as Jaing stared from her to his uncle. This obviously wasn't a side of the elder man that the boy had seen before. "Odds?"

"I learned not to bet against you the first day at ICT, Anya." Kang said with a nod, his control returning. "But I could tell them some stories."

"Oh?" Anya asked, her tone waspish, but humorous as well. "And I could tell _them_ about the hooch you kept making. Sergeant Grissom never _did_ figure out where you hid your still, did she?" To everyone's amazement, the swordsman actually blushed at that. "We were all young and dumb, Kang. Truce?" She said snidely.

"Truce." Kang said with a real smile. "Good to have you back, Anya."

"Good to _be_ back." Anya said with a smile as she held out her hand. Then shook and she let go, stepped back and nodded. "We have a _lot_ of work to do, so we should get cracking. Crado." Her husband stiffened as she switched to command tone and then nodded. "Set up some quarters for these two." He nodded and was gone. "Melissa, Jennifer, Granli? We need to eat, it's going to be a long day. Kai..." She glared at her sister and Kai sighed.

"I know, I know." The former phantom said with a groan. "Medical. But after that, I want to set up a training area, Anya. What is the Korean term, Kang? Dojo?"

"Dojan." Kang corrected her quietly. "I know how to set one up. Won't take long." He nodded to Anya. "With your permission?"

"Get _out_ of here you crazy sword swingers!" Anya said with a 'shoo-ing' gesture. "And _no_ blood! If I see blood..." Her voice trailed off in menace and both Kai and Kang shared a worried look. "Scat!" She said with a smile. Kang nodded to her and then a look was sent at his nephew who nodded and sat. "Are you my bodyguard now?" Anya asked as she got a tray of food and moved to a free table.

"No, Ma'am." Jaing said with aplomb. "But I would like to talk to you about planning some classes."

"Such as?" Anya asked as she dug into her food. It wasn't Alliance rations, or Cerberus slop either. It was good. Even stuck in machinery, Mika was a MUCH better chef than the Cerberus people who were left.

"Ah." Jaing sighed deeply. "I have many interests, but mainly art."

"Art." Anya said with a small smile. "To be well rounded." He nodded and she nodded back. "Okay. We need a basic curriculum first. But then each student will be different. The _last_ thing we want to do is drop all of our students into the same mold. It never works."

"I have studied some history Ma'am." Jaing said with a nod. "The programs that the United States of America instituted at the end of the twentieth century were... suboptimal."

"Yeah." Anya said with a grimace. "That is one way to put it. When every student had to be passed and no one could fail, it pulled all of them, good, bad and mediocre into the same gutter."

"It is somewhat surprising that we managed to survive that era." Jaing said with a shudder that was only half feigned. "Or the Cold War era before it."

"I am going to like talking with you, Jaing." Anya said with a grin as she worked on her breakfast.


	73. Chapter 73

**At just about the same time**

"Out of the question." The asari's voice was flat, stern, but Portia did not flinch. She looked at C-Flat Viridian and the rachni looked back at her impassive. She was sitting on a couch that had been set up for humanoid forms in the rachni's chambers. Two cups of tea sat on a small table nearby.

""Ms. Illia..." Portia said, trying to keep a wheedling tone from creeping into her voice. "I _have_ thought about this."

"Portia, just call me Illia." The asari said with a sigh and sat back down on the couch beside Portia from where she had jumped up in consternation. She looked at the rachni queen who hadn't moved. She nodded. "C-Flat Viridian shares my concerns."

"I know." Portia said softly. "I understand. But anyone else would have gone straight to Anya, who likely would have locked me in a padded room somewhere."

"We are _both_ contemplating that." Illia said mildly. "What you just suggested is crazy, Portia."

"Why?" Portia asked calmly. "I am _not_ asking you to yank my optic nerves out and give them to Anya. And since I don't _know_ if I am a biotic or not..." She paused as Illia laid a hand on her arm. "What?"

"You are." Illia said quietly. Portia paled and Illia drew her close. "It's okay, Portia. It's nothing horrid. Without an amp, you won't be dangerous to yourself or others. It can be scary when you start moving things with your mind for the first time. We can help."

"I..." Portia shook her head. "I need your word you won't tell Anya." She said softly. "She is already so worried about me... This would freak her out more."

"Tell her what?" Illia said softly. "We cannot swear blindly, Portia." The asari stiffened as Portia looked at her and the girl was nearly crying. "Portia? What?" Her face went slack as Portia raised a hand and the girl's cup of tea rose from the table to slide towards the couch. Portia caught it, spilling a bit, but Illia had seen -and felt- enough. Mass effect fields were fairly easy to sense for a trained biotic. Portia was untrained but she was powerful. Illia was shocked and she could feel C-Flat Viridian's matching shock. Portia was so young. "By the goddess... You? How...?"

"I don't know." Portia said, twisting the cup in her hands. "I have always been able to do things like that. Mom and dad were so happy when they caught me doing it the first time. I just... I feel so weird. It freaks me out."

"Oh Portia..." Illia said gently, reaching for the girl. "Come here." The girl drained her tea and put the cup down. Then she was swarming into Illia's arms, sobbing. "Easy, Portia, it's okay. We had wondered. Anya said she manifested early but hid it for fear of being called a witch." She held Portia gently as the little girl cried. "It's all right. It's all right..." She crooned, stroking Portia's hair gently. "Shh... It's all right."

"I am scared." Portia said through her tears. "I don't want to fight!" She declared. "I don't."

"Well..." Illia mused. "The best known biotics are the fighters, but there _are_ other, non-violent applications for the ability."

"There are?" Portia perked up a bit. "Like what?"

"Moving things from place to place is always in demand, Portia." Illia said with a smile. "Using a loader or using your mind, it's all the same to a warehouse foreman. I also knew a few artists who used mass effect fields to shape things, ice and steel in particular." She smiled in fond memory. "And I know an asari doctor who used it in surgery, but THAT took centuries of learning and practice."

"I see." Portia said softly. "So I _could_ donate..." She broke off as C-Flat Viridian made a noise. It sounded odd, but then again, rachni did not have vocal cords. The asari and the rachni both glared at her, but Portia was not stopped. "Look, C-Flat Viridian, Illia... I am _not_ suggesting someone hack my head open and give Anya my tissue. I am asking if it is _possible_ to clone my tissue to give Anya replacements for what she lost. I am her genetic twin. I don't think it would violate the Council's bans on genetic manipulation. I don't want to die and I know Anya would never forgive herself if something happened to me. But I feel the same way about _her_." She begged. "She is my sister and she is hurting. Please?" Illia took a deep breath before replying.

"Portia." Illia said softly. "We will think on what you ask, but... You need to tell Anya your powers have manifested and you need to do it soon. Kai is asking what has freaked us both out. We _will_ tell her." Portia stiffened, but Illia wasn't done. "She knows you, and she knows Anya. She loves you both." Then Illia smiled fondly. "Kai says to tell Anya now, Portia. She suspected but wasn't going to say anything. She won't say anything until you do."

"I..." Portia swallowed. "I better do it now, then."

"Some things can't wait." Illia said gently, rising to her feet and holding out a hand to Portia. The young girl took it and Illia drew her to her feet without effort. "Courage, Portia. We are with you." She hugged Portia, then released her, holding out her hand again.

"Is it always like this?" Portia asked as she took Illia's hand. "Being an adult?"

"Oh yeah." Illia said with a sigh. "There are times when I truly _detest_ being an adult. But it _is_ worth it."

Portia sighed but then froze as one of C-Flat Viridian's whip like appendages moved. It slowly travelled until the claw touched her on the side of the head. It was a gentle touch. A feeling of compassion came from it and a thought.

{We are with you, Portia. Have no fear.} The rachni said in a fond mental voice.

Portia smiled at the rachni and then straightened herself as the claw retreated. "No time like the present."

It was an odd cavalcade that walked through the base. C-Flat Viridian, as always, drew most of the attention. But Illia and Portia also drew hellos from a number of passersby. They replied to each politely but it was clear to everyone that their attention was elsewhere. No one asked why. When they entered medical, Portia flinched on seeing Kai sitting in a chair, a nurse working on her arm. A man that Portia did not know stood by the wall, watching. But neither Illia nor C-flat Viridian seemed alarmed despite the sword he carried.

"I got cut, Portia." Kai called to her little sister. "I am okay."

"Not for lack of trying to get hurt." The nurse said sourly. "Here..." She finished binding the injury and held out a sling to Kai who took it with a sigh. "Without some kind of reminder you _will_ use it and reopen the wound."

"Hey." Kai protested mildly as she put the loop of fabric around her neck. "Don't look at me like that! I am not Anya." The nurse eased her arm into the sling and Kai smiled as she rose. The nurse nodded to her and moved off. "Anya is on her way, Portia. You okay, sis?"

"No." Portia admitted. "I am scared. I see you and Anya, what she could do and what you _can_ do and it scares me, Kai." She said, her face falling as Kai nodded soberly.

"Good." Kai said softly. "This power... Portia, it should _never_ be used lightly. Any power can be abused. I have known a lot of people who justified using any power they had to get what they wanted." She shrugged, careful not to jar her hurt arm. "I was one of them once. But I learned." She said as she stepped to Portia's side. "It will be okay."

"I hope so." Portia said as she embraced Kai. "I-..." Whatever else Portia was going to say was cut off as Anya swept into the medical ward, her face anxious.

"Kai? Portia?" Anya said quickly. "Mika said you needed to see me?" Kai held Portia for a moment and then released her, turning the girl so she looked at Anya. "Portia?" Anya queried, unsure.

"I..." Portia swallowed heavily, part embarrassed, and part scared. "I have something to tell you." She shook her head before continuing. "You know I am a biotic."

"I knew you had the potential." Anya said softly, coming close to offer support. "Any biotic can sense it, given time and proximity. Why...?" She broke off and stiffened. "Oh Portia..."Her eyes glistened. "You manifested." It wasn't really a question but Portia nodded anyway and Anya sighed deeply.

"I didn't mean to..." Portia started to say, but broke off as Anya embraced her. "I..."

"This will not be easy for you, Portia." Anya said as the girl clung to her, tears starting to fall. "You are half the age I was when I was told I was a biotic. But..." She took a deep breath. "I am _not_ going to leave to face this alone. This is going to be hard. But you have to learn how to control your power. Or it will hurt you and those around you."

"How can I be a biotic when I am only nine?" Portia asked plaintively.

"Age doesn't matter." Anya said in a sad voice. "I was younger than you when I started showing signs of it. But I hid it, ignored it, tried to forget about it. That...hurt me. Later. I don't want to see that happen to you."

"Wouldn't I need an amp or an implant or whatever?" Portia asked slowly calming.

"Not until you finish growing." Anya said with a nod. "We can get you something to learn on, an external amp. But any implants we put in will likely stop working right as you grow." She tweaked Portia's nose with a smile. "You are a growing girl after all."

"Anya!" Portia protested, half laughing. Then she blinked and became serious. 'I need to ask you something Anya. I was thinking..."

"Scary that." Anya said with a smile.

"I mean..." Portia chuckled but then paused. "I mean... Something doesn't make any sense."

"Only _one_ thing?" Anya asked with a shrug. "_Lots_ of this situation don't make any sense to me at all."

"Well..." Portia spoke slowly, feeling each word with care. "I know Kai captured you, when you were with the Protheans." Anya stiffened and Kai did as well, but Portia continued. "I know the Protheans pursued you and the Cerberus team dropped you in that pod, and then couldn't find you."

"Yeah." Kai's voice held sorrow.

"Don't blame yourself, Kai." Anya said with a touch of ice. "You were obeying orders."

"Yeah." Kai agreed with a sigh. "Didn't have a choice _then_, although it wasn't long after that that I went off the deep end."

"You came back." Anya said with a nod to her elder sister. "Anyway. Portia? What about my history?"

"Kai? Did your medic put the implants in Anya's eyes?" Portia asked slowly. Kai stiffened and Anya froze as well.

"No." Kai said slowly, her face furrowed. "We didn't have time and it would have been a delicate task." She went still as Anya did. "Anya?"

"I thought they were Cerberus implants." Anya said slowly. "_Miranda_ thought they were."

"Anya." Kai said slowly. "We didn't do it. I didn't leave your side until they put you in the pod." She nodded to the rachni who was watching everything. "C-Flat Viridian can verify my memories." Anya looked at Kai and then at the rachni who made a long slow motion that approximated a human nod.

"But if _you_ didn't..." Anya said slowly, her face a mask of conclusion. "Scholar didn't." She said flatly.

"Are you sure, Anya?" Portia asked slowly. "I mean.. I _like_ Scholar. He is kind and funny. But..." She shook her head. "When _else_ could it have been done to you?"

"I was in stasis in that pod for five _years_, Portia." Anya said with a sigh. "_Anyone_ could have found it and scooped it up."

"And put you right back?" Kai demanded. "Anya. This doesn't make sense. We _did not_ do that to you."

"I don't- _No!_" She screamed as Portia felt something sting her. She was suddenly frozen in place, no matter what she did, she couldn't move! She couldn't move anything but her eyes and she could see odd insect-like things attached to Kai and Anya. Both of them seemed to be frozen as well. A cloud of small flitting things were hovering around C-Flat Viridian and she was moving slowly, but she _was_ moving. Illia was not, Portia noticed.

"I am sorry, Anya." The voice of the Prothean biosciences specialist came to Portia's ears as he came into view, a cloud of the tiny things whirring around him almost protectively.. "I didn't have a choice. It's okay, Anya, Portia..." He said sadly. "It will be okay."

A sound the likes of which Portia had never heard filled the room as C-Flat Viridian moved. It was _nothing_ like the girl had ever heard from the rachni. There was nothing gentle or kind about _this_ sound and Portia hoped for a moment, but then the rachni froze in place as well.

"I knew you would find a way to divert the swarms." Scholar said sadly. "I had hoped my countermeasure would work, but it didn't. The stasis won't hold you for long. That leaves me no choice. I am sorry." He said again. Portia felt her blood freeze as he drew a weapon and shot the rachni in the head.

{_No!_} Portia screamed inside her head as the rachni fell, blood seeping out. The huge alien form shuddered once and then was still. Portia felt tears start to fall as the proud and kind queen...died.

"I didn't want to do that." Scholar said sadly as he put his weapon away. "She was...a good soul. I hope her mother can save you and Illia, Kai. Anya, Portia and I have an appointment however." He produced something from his belt and laid it around Anya's head carefully. "There we go."

"You are _dead_!" Anya snapped as the paralysis apparently left her. "You killed C!"

"Be silent." Scholar commanded and Anya shut her mouth. Portia felt fear the likes of which she had never before encountered as Scholar produced another, smaller headband and moved towards her. She was begging in her mind as he settled it around her head. She lost control of her bowels as dark coldness settled around her, drawing her away from herself. As if from a long distance, Portia heard Scholar sigh sadly. "Come on, girls, your master waits."

"You are _not_ leaving." A cold, hard voice sounded and Portia quailed as her eyes tracked to the doorway where another Prothean form stood. Javik had his particle rifle out and aimed at Scholar. "Your fate will be remembered for centuries. Traitor."

"You cannot stop me, Javik." Scholar said sadly. "Stand aside."

"I always knew you felt 'odd'. I put it down to your long sleep, like me. I was wrong. You serve the Leviathan." Javik said, his tone steel hard now. "Do the children?"

"No." Scholar said quietly. "These were my...price. The price of my service. Javik, these are not Protheans."

"It doesn't matter, traitor!" Javik snapped. "Anya is an Exemplar and her sister/daughter is a friend. You would just casually _give_ them to those amoral _things_ that started the entire reaper cycle?"

"Not causally." Scholar said heavily. "It was never my intent to...care for Anya. She was so..." He sighed. "She was so strong willed. When the minions healed her, tried to start the rebirthing process, she fought so hard, tried to escape." Javik actually recoiled a bit.

"You...?" The ancient Prothean warrior breathed, utterly horrified. "_You_ did that to her? _You_ rebuilt her? _You_..." Then his gaze went hard again. "_You_ worked _with_ the Lost Ones!"

"No." Scholar said quietly. "They worked for me. After Leviathan attacked them, killed most of them and freed the few remaining, it woke me, gave me a choice. Serve or die. And it promised me the chance to rebuild my people. And the cost..." He shrugged. "Two human females. You have to see the price was worth it, Javik."

"What I see..." The other Prothean said coldly. "Is someone who should have died centuries ago. Goodbye, Scholar."

"Javik!" The biosceinces specialist shouted, but then Javik fired. The beam from his particle rifle travelled instantaneously to Scholar, touched the other ancient Prothean and did nothing! Scholar raised a hand and Javik froze in place, his limbs coated in green energy. "Don't move. You can't beat me." He commanded. bowed his head for a moment, and then sighed. "I knew this day would come. Anya, Portia, disarm Javik."

Portia quailed as her body moved without her commands. She was begging, screaming in her mind as she stepped up to the still soldier and gently pulled the particle rifle from his unresisting hands. Anya pulled his hands around and cuffed them.

"Are you going to take _me_ too?" Javik demanded as Portia's hands laid the heavy rifle on the deck nearby. She felt her body step back and saw Anya's do the same. She caught a glimpse of Anya's eyes however and knew the horror that she saw there was mirrored in her own.

"No." Scholar said sadly. "You are too dangerous. The seeker swarms won't work on you and the stasis won't hold you for very long."

"There is nowhere in the galaxy we will not be able to find you, traitor!" Javik snapped as Scholar stepped up to where Portia stood outwardly calm. Inside, she was a seething mass of rage and fear. "We _will_ find you!"

"Don't let the kids come when you do." Scholar asked, his tone oddly pleading. "They were my price and the price is met. Now Leviathan doesn't care one way or another. It _will_ kill or enthrall anyone who comes into range."

"And you should care, _why_?" Javik snapped. "You got what you wanted, traitor! Go play with your fishy friends!"

"It started as a clinical experiment, a ploy to gain Anya's trust." Scholar said with deep sadness. "It became more than that. I..." He sighed. "Goodbye Javik. When we meet again, I know one of us will die."

Portia tried to fight as her body started walking towards a wall, but a hidden door slid open just before she reached it. Scholar's voice came from nearby.

"I know you are scared, Portia, but there is no need. We are not going to hurt you." Scholar said gently. "We are not going to hurt Anya either. We have hurt her enough."

She walked through the dimly lit maintenance tunnels until she came to a dead end. She watched as Scholar stepped forward into the small room that appeared. Portia stepped in and then a face she remembered appeared from a darkened corner. Her father looked...terrified.

"Are we ready?" Scholar demanded. Pedro Wilson-Fuentes nodded jerkily. "Anya, Portia, your rides await."

Portia felt her fear ramp up a thousand fold as she saw a pair of odd looking things sitting beside what had to be a hatch. They...opened. For a moment her mind blanked on what they were, then it clocked. Collector pods! The kind that the Collectors had used to transport and process humans that they had abducted!

{No!} Portia begged in her mind as her body stepped towards the collector pod. {No please!}

"It's all right, Portia." Scholar said gently as her body stepped into it and lay down without her command. A gentle three fingered hand stroked her forehead. "Sleep now, child. Dream of peace and light."

Her eyes were closing as she saw the lid come down. A click and she was floating. She was still begging as darkness claimed her. Oddly comforting darkness. {That doesn't...feel...like the controls. That felt like C-Flat Viridian?} She had that last confused thought before she fell asleep.

* * *

Scholar watched the readouts on the sides of the pods stabilize and relaxed a bit as both occupants were placed in full stasis.

"Report." The Prothean snapped.

"The central computer systems are fighting a looped virus." The cowed human, a far cry from the arrogant Cerberus leader before meeting Scholar's master, said softly. "Mika is in survival mode, protecting herself. All humans on the station have been subdued by the seeker swarms. The non-humans are directionless and seem to be focused on helping the humans."

"It won't last." Scholar said with a sigh. "Get them into the shuttle. Now."

He keyed the antigrav systems and the pod that Portia was ensconced in rose to a suitable altitude. The hatch opened to show the interior of a standard Alliance shuttle. Kodiak class, it had more than enough space for two humanoids and two pods. He moved the pod close to one wall and sat, waiting for Wilson-Fuentes to do the same. As soon as the man had the pod situated, Scholar sent a mental command to the thrall at the shuttle's controls. It's thrusters flared, sending it careening away from the station.

"I..." Wilson-Fuentes spoke halting, jerky as he had since Leviathan had examined him. Scholar wondered idly if there was brain damage, but it didn't really matter. He was only a human after all, and not even exceptional like Anya or Portia.

"What?" Scholar snapped, annoyed. The man could _not_ obey orders without direct supervision.

"What does the master want with them?" Pedro asked slowly.

"What do YOU care?" Scholar demanded. "You will get what you want. Humanity will be yours to control."

"I..." Wilson-Fuentes nodded and sat back, closing his eyes. "It will be glorious."

"As long as you serve well, you will be rewarded." Scholar said mildly. "But do not presume. You are _not_ in charge."

"I know." The Cerberus leader said quietly. "I know."

Scholar smiled inwardly. The human was so transparent. He as trying to find a way to break the enthrallment, maybe to use the power against Leviathan. He would try eventually and die a hideous death. Scholar sighed deeply and perused the readouts on the pods. Both females were in full stasis. For them, the trip would be instantaneous. For a moment, he envied them. They didn't have to worry about consequences now. All they had to do was obey. He had no illusions that either female would at first, but Leviathan was _extremely_ skilled at breaking minds. It wouldn't take long at all. Then, maybe... he could finally rest.


	74. Chapter 74

She was floating. Then she was not. She was lying on a hard surface with shadowed forms moving around her. Harsh light shone in her eyes, making them water. Then she was floating again. It came as quite a shock when Portia woke up and she could feel sheets around her, a soft bed giving underneath her.

"She is awake." A gentle female voice sounded from nearby. "Good morning, Portia Solinus." Portia cracked her eyes and froze. She couldn't see!

"You... motherless...scum!" Portia snapped. "You did it to _me_ too?"

"Ah, girl..." The soft voice was sad. "It's okay. It's temporary until we can be sure there were no complications from the surgery, your eyes are disabled and covered. You will be able to see in a few days."

"Yeah." Portia snarled. "What good are blind slaves?"

"Exactly." The voice said calmly. "You are a slave, Portia Solinus. From now until the day you die, you will serve."

"I don't _think_ so." Portia snarled, trying to rise, only to fall back exhausted by that simple act. "What the hell have you done to me?"

"You are very weak." The soft voice was comforting now. "You spent several days in stasis, and your body was weak before that. Then the surgery. You need nourishment and gentle exercise to recover quickly."

"Like hell. I won't help you." Portia snapped.

"You do not have a choice, child. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Portia Solinus." The voice warned her. "You will prefer the easy way."

"Well, I would prefer you..." Portia summoned up every ounce of profanity that she knew and threw it at the voice. She had managed curses in Spanish, English and had started on Prothean when something grabbed hold of her mind and she was cut off in mid rant. Try as she might, she couldn't move or speak.

"Child, be calm." The soft voice was still soothing. "We will not harm you. You are far more important than you know." Something soft rubbed her forehead but Portia kept struggling against the pressure that held her mind. The voice turned very sad. "Oh child, don't make us do this. Just relax, let the masters take control. It's not horrid. It's actually fairly nice." Portia did not listen that the pressure turned to pain.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Slave." Portia bit out past the waves of pain that now pressing deep into her skull. Then she screamed as it became too much for her and all she could do was writhe in agony as pain seared into her skull.

"Stop!" A curt command from a voice she knew and the pain vanished. "She is trying to get us to hurt her. We must not."

"Scholar." Portia bit out. "Did it feel good? Shooting C-Flat Viridian? Did it feel good, betraying Anya's trust in you?"

"No it did not, Portia Solinus. The rachni was a good being. I did not wish to hurt her." Portia could have sworn the Prothean was near tears. "I did not want to hurt anyone, just leave with you and Anya."

"You have a _funny_ way of..." Portia froze as pressure mounted, but _not_ on her head. "What the _hell_ are you doing?" She demanded as her legs and abdomen were suddenly trapped by something soft but firm. It yielded, but only a little to her struggles.

"Building the future, Portia Solinus." Scholar said gently. "It won't hurt. We will do our best not to hurt you. We need you undamaged." Portia stiffened every muscle she could and Scholar sighed. "Okay, be that way."

Something stung her on the neck and Portia cried out as every muscle that she had been tensing suddenly relaxed. Then everything below her neck went numb. Portia could not hold a cry of alarm in as something pinched her, _inside_ her abdomen. Whatever was hurting her vanished quickly however. The soft thing was wiping sweat off her forehead now.

"Samples acquired." Scholar said in a satisfied tone. "They look good. Feed her." A door hissed and the voice of the caregiver sounded nearby.

"He is gone, Portia Solinus." The sad voice was close at hand. "I am sorry you are in this state, young one. I wish I could help, but I cannot disobey."

"Who are you?" Portia asked, unsure.

"He calls me Bri Devisha." The voice said softly. "Your people call mine Collectors, but we call ourselves Protheans."

"You are _Collector?_" Portia felt terror flow through her as the same gentle touch rubbed her cheek. "No..." She begged. "Don't..."

"I am not going to hurt you, Portia Solinus." The voice of the strange being said sadly. "You have been hurt enough. This is my job. I am a nurturer, a healer. Even before Leviathan attacked us, killed most of us and freed the rest from Harbinger's control, I was not a fighter. I did fight, on occasion, but my skill was in healing. In taking broken bodies and making them whole. Please let me help you, Portia Solinus. If you die... The master will be...displeased."

"I don't care." Portia snapped. "Your 'friend' Scholar killed my friend C-Flat Viridian. He lied to my sister and hurt her."

"I know." Bri said softly. "I was there when he found her in the pod. When he pulled her out to experiment on her. When he... When she tried to escape and he nearly killed her."

"What?" Portia asked, stunned.

"If I tell you, will you drink?" The voice asked cautiously. "I have liquid nourishment for you, your body is not up to solid foods after what Scholar just did."

"What did he do to me?" Portia tried to move, but her body was still numb. "I feel strange... inside. What did he do?"

"Does it still hurt?" Bri asked, worried.

"No." Portia said snidely. "Not that he would care."

"He _does_ care." Bri corrected Portia gently. "More than he should. He came to love Anya in the time she spent with him. I... I watched from secret with the rest of my people and I could only admire her. Please, Portia Solinus, drink." A straw found Portia's lips.

"How do I know it is not drugged?" Portia asked slowly.

"It is." Bri said calmly. "It will help you sleep. You need sleep to heal from what Scholar did. It was too soon after the other surgeries, too fast. I am sorry, but he is in command."

"What did he do to me?" Portia demanded. When Bri did not answer, Portia grew angry. "_What_ did he _do_?" She demanded louder.

"He inserted tubes into your reproductive organs to harvest your egg cells." Bri said quietly. Portia stilled and the hand was back stroking her forehead. "I am sorry. The masters demanded to see if you could be cloned. You need rest and care to recover, but they don't care. They want what they want and they want it now."

"Cloned?" Portia asked, stunned. "Madre de dios, why?"

"You were made from Anya Solinus' DNA, Portia Solinus." Bri said quietly. "You and she are both genetic keys to machines that were designed by the race that became the Reaper Obligatha."

"it doesn't work!" Portia protested. "It exploded when Obligatha's people made it and nearly exploded when Pedro Wilson-Fuentes made it!"

"Your father..." Bri began, but choked off as Portia screamed.

"_Anya is my father, you bastards!_" Portia said, trying with all her might to move, to fight, to do _anything_.

"Portia, calm down." Bri said sharply. But Portia was beyond listening. "Oh child...Sleep now. It will be better when you wake." A sting on her neck had Portia floating and then sinking into darkness again. This time thought, it wasn't cold. A soft voice was singing to her. She stiffened a little. It sounded like C-Flat Viridian!

* * *

The Collector known as Bri Devisha was sobbing inside as she finished hooking the tubes up to Portia's still form. The lines would feed her, clean her blood, breathe for her and take care of her wastes. The Collector stroked Portia's forehead gently again and then finished connecting the monitor lines to the girl's shaved scalp. She lifted Portia easily from the bed where she had laid the poor girl. She moved to the side and then laid Portia in her home. The insectoid being checked the connections a final time and closed the pod. Then she keyed the sequence that started filling it with the special fluid that Scholar had developed. The fluid would help preserve Portia's body, keeping it strong while she slept and recovered from her ordeals.

"Oh child..." The Collector said sadly. "I am sorry. But we truly have no choice." She keyed the monitors and paused. There was abnormal brain activity, odd activity. It wasn't as if Portia was dreaming, which shouldn't have been possible anyway as sedated as the girl was. It was... The Collector shrugged as the readings returned to normal.

"Weird." Bri said with a sigh as she stepped away from the pod and watched it as the apparatus moved it to the ceiling where it would remain until Scholar needed more samples. She _could_ access the sample tubes from the outside, but if Portia would cooperate, then it would be so much easier. Not to mention less wearing on Portia. People had routinely gone mad in those pods even sedated. They could not afford that to happen to Portia, so she would be removed frequently, for exercise and limited socialization. Bri shook her head. "No time like the present."

She keyed her controls again and another pod was pulled from its storage spot. THIS pod was heavily reinforced and was locked so that only Scholar could open it. Bri looked through the cover and sighed. Anya was still struggling. She shouldn't have been surprised, it was what the N7 _did_. Fight. Even as hopeless as her situation was, Anya would not stop fighting.

"Anya, you need to calm down." Bri said reasonably.

"Fuck you." Anya relied in an equally reasonable tone. "Lying sacks of mierda!" She cursed in Spanish for several seconds until the systems of the pod calmed her their way. EM pulses kept the woman from thrashing, but could not keep her unconscious without causing harm. Which they were forbidden. Anya was promised to her father when the repairs to her body were done. And... after she was adjusted a bit.

"I have never lied to you, Anya." Bri said quietly. "We _can_ keep you unconscious while the transplants take root. We do not wish to. And if the masters take notice again, they _will_ hurt you, Anya." Anya had been bleeding from her ears and nose when she had come to Bri's care, due in no small part to her attempts to fight Leviathan's control. "Anya, _please_." The Collector begged. "I don't want to hurt you. Not... Not again..."

"What do you mean, _again_?" Anya snapped. "I only saw your people on Sanctum."

"You saw us again, Anya." Bri replied sadly. "But you don't remember. The memory recorder was offline and you were badly hurt." Bri adjusted the feeds of drugs into the tubes that Anya had going into various parts of her body and spoke gently again. "You told Scholar at one point that you remember a cell? Mechs feeding you? Tending you?"

"I..." Anya's voice slurred for a moment, but then became strong again. "I do." Bri cursed inwardly but did not allow herself to be distracted. The drugs were not working. This was going to be a rough time for Anya. And Bri.

"You were shot on Sanctum. We recovered your body, and I nurtured the spark that was left. I brought you back, Anya." Bri said sadly. "You were a mess." She keyed a control and watched impassively as an apparatus moved to connect to the headband that Anya still wore. After she had hit two thralls hard enough to break bones when they had released her the first time, no one had _dared_ touch her physically. Even the masters' control had limits.

"Scholar did that?" Anya snapped. "Is there anything in my life he _hasn't_ messed with?"

"He wasn't awake." Bri said gently. "We couldn't open the pod he was in. I..." She shook her huge head and sighed again. "I am sorry for my ham handedness, but they wouldn't let me tend you in person."

"Why?" Anya asked, her tone calmer than it had been. Bri glanced at the monitors and then dared an EM pulse. Anya didn't seem to notice as her brain was jolted, just a little. A long road to reprogram an organic mind, but far, far gentler than Leviathan's methods.

"There were 3,016 of us on that ship, Anya." Bri said quietly. "Of all of those, I was the only female. They kept me safe and secure even though I am sterile. It was...hardwired into my people I think, to protect females. After all, during the Protheans' war with the Reapers, reproduction was a priority."

"I thought they cloned..." Anya said, her words slurring together. Then she jerked. "_Argh! Get out of my mind!_" She screamed. Bri cursed and hit a control to wipe the woman's memories of the last ten seconds. Anya jerked again and slumped in her bonds. When she spoke again, it was calm. "You were sterile? You have my sympathy."

"Still am." Bri said with a pang. "Scholar cannot fix me. He has tried. Whatever happened to make me in the first place was a mess."

"Wasn't planned?" Anya asked, curiosity piqued. At least she wasn't screaming for fighting. This time, Bri tried a gentle calming agent and another EM pulse. "I mean..." She grunted.

"The Reapers never planned on having _any_ females. Anya? Are you in pain?" Bri asked quickly. The _last_ thing anyone wanted was for her to hurt herself on the restraints. They couldn't release her or open the pod to tend her wounds as it was. The surgical scars were angry red marks, sure to leave scars since Bri couldn't tend them properly. She sighed as Anya's brain activity spiked again.

"You _dare_ ask that?" Anya snapped. "I watched one of my best friends -almost a sister- gunned down casually, like she was nothing! I am not in pain at all. No, I am _fine!_" Anya screamed the last. Bri keyed her controls again and was not surprised to see the drug didn't have any effect. Anya was seriously tough and was developing a resistance to the latest attempt at calming agents. Bri keyed a stronger drug.

"Anya..." The Collector said in total sincerity. "You have no reason to believe me, but this is the truth. I am sorry for you loss. I _know_ about losing family. After Leviathan attacked, I woke up surrounded by dead kin. I was knee deep in them. Out of the 3,016 aboard, 14 of us survived. I am the last." She hit her controls again, hoping to find the mental block that was blocking her programming. But it eluded her. Minds were tricky things even when the being in question was not a sneaky and angry soldier.

"So Scholar was telling the truth." Anya said, her tone thoughtful.

"Partially." Bri said gently. "He woke up while we were trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Harbinger's voice was gone, we were directionless and surrounded by the dead. Apparently, Scholar stumbled out of his pod and right into an enthrallment sphere. He didn't have a chance."

"And me?" Anya asked slowly.

"We took you on Sanctum." Bri said gently. "We covered your wounds with healing solutions, but your head wound was problematic. We thought you were a vegetable, we had no _idea_ you were still there until you started talking in your sleep. The males freaked, pulled me out of the medical ward, made me tend you remotely."

"So the memories of a cell... Of a table..." Anya mused.

"They happened. You woke several times before Leviathan slammed us." Bri said sadly. "I had _no_ idea what I was doing, Anya." Bri slumped. "I was ordered to try and find a way to reproduce using other species. They made me a doctor since no one wanted me to fight. I studied and trained, but it wasn't...real. I didn't think you were capable of thought, Anya. I am sorry. I am so sorry."

"What did you do?" Anya asked, her tone far calmer than Bri's.

"I put Prothean eggs in you." Bri said, regret souring her tone. "I made them and put them in you. I didn't _know_ it would be so complicated. Or that it would hurt you so badly. That you would burst blood vessels or snap bones in your agony. You have _got_ to believe me, Anya." She begged.

"Never attribute to malice what can be put to pure ignorance?" Anya asked in an odd voice. "I don't have to believe _anything_ here. Everything here is a lie. _You_ are a lie! Bring back the torture, you lying bitch!"

"Anya, please!" Bri begged. 'I don't _want_ to hurt you. I admire you! So much! You never gave up! You... You never..." She broke off as Anya snarled. The sound mad any varren's growl seem tame.

"Shut up and do it already!" Anya snapped. "I am _sick_ of listening to you."

"I am sorry Anya." Bri said as she hit the controls to retract the pod back to it's place. She didn't need to look to see the pod's robotic arms with their various implements moving towards the restrained form within. Screams came from the pod, screams that cut off with a snap as the sound baffling fields went live. "I am so... so sorry..." Then she buried her face in her hands and wept.

"It's not your fault." A soft voice had Bri spinning in place. Scholar stood there, a sad expression on his face. "The Reapers, then the master and I gave you no choice."

"I hurt her." Bri said with a shudder. "For all intents and purposes, I tortured her. And now..." She nodded towards the pod. "I am doing it _again_." Self loathing sounded through her voice.

"You didn't have a choice before and you don't have one now. You _are_ getting through, Bri." Scholar said gently. "She has a head like a rock, but you are getting through to her. Stay with her. She will need you through this. Her father has demanded her. I don't know why and I don't think I want to know." Scholar actually looked sick for a moment.

"I don't want to do this." Bri sobbed. "I want to go home!"

"Your home is gone, Bri." Scholar said gently. "Your people are gone."

"This is _wrong_." Bri screamed and then she went completely stiff as power flared through her.

**{Obey} **The implacable voice of Leviathan soaked through every pore.

"She is not disobeying!" Scholar said sharply. "She is being what she is, an empath! If you _want_ Anya mad, then just break her. Her father wanted her docile, and controlled, not brain dead! And we will need Anya to test the prototype." The power released her and Bri fell to the floor, gasping. Scholar went down to his knees beside Bri and held her as she shuddered.

"Kill me." Bri begged. "Please. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hurting them." She jerked her head towards the full pods.

"I can't." Scholar said sadly. "We need you. Anya and Portia need you, Bri. It will take time and effort, but you _can_ get through to them."

"Do we have time?" Bri asked, swallowing and calming herself through sheer force of will.

"Not a lot." Scholar admitted. "The tracking systems on the ship that we used to track Anya after she was taken cannot be blocked. The machine is almost done. Try again?" Bri shook her head, but Scholar was relentless. "Bri, if you don't we die. Either the masters kill us or Anya's friends do. I don't like this any more than you do, but I do not want to die. Do it." She have her a squeeze and then rose and left the room.

Bri knelt for a long moment, and then rose to her feet, checking the pods. Portia was still asleep. Anya was screaming as the machine did what they were programmed to. Bri shook herself and stopped the machines, keying a sedative pulse to knock Anya out temporarily. A touch of a control and the pod was back where it had been. She hit her controls again.

"Anya?" She asked carefully. "Anya, come on, talk to me." Anya did not respond, but when Bri tried to access the woman's mind, she couldn't. "What the-...?" Bri asked herself. This was unprecedented. She did a full series of scan and paused, dumbfounded. It was as if Anya's mind wasn't there! "Oh crap... She went comatose!" Bri started hitting controls feverishly working to revive the woman she admired, but had been hurting. "_Scholar_" She screamed.

"What?" Scholar came in, his lab was right beside the pod room. "What happened?"

"No brain function!" Bri said sharply. "She was, and then I hit the pulse to sedate her and she just went out like a light."

"That is not possible." Scholar said with a snarl. "Wait..." He nodded slowly and smiled a bit grimly. "Obligatha."

"What?" Bri asked sharply.

"The Reaper Obligatha took Anya into its own mind to protect Anya when her father tried to activate the machine." Scholar said with a nod. "She was like this, no brain function. She came back."

"If a Reaper is close enough to do that..." Bri said, terror spawning.

"I know." Scholar said with a nod. "I will go finish up the final connections. I _think_ it will work better if she is not awake. At least it won't hurt her this time." He said sadly as he unlocked the pod. "Get her ready and be careful." Bri nodded as he left.

"Damn it, I wanted to apologize." Bri said, tears falling as she opened the pod, noting that the mechanical arms had retracted. She was crying as she undid the restraints and... She froze in shock and fear as Anya's hand grabbed her wrist and she stiffened as the woman smiled at her.

"I forgive you." The world fell away.


	75. Chapter 75

Bri shivered in fear and shock as she materialized. She didn't know where she was. Everything was green, shades of green,. As far as she could see, there were geometric shapes. She stood on a square of some kind, she couldn't tell what it was made of. But the square was sitting in midair, nothing to support it that she could see.

"What in the galaxy?" Bri asked nobody as she knelt down to examine the material. Then she froze solid as a form appeared nearby. Anya was smiling.

"Hello Bri." Anya said calmly. Bri noticed that Anya stood on another square, one that floated in midair just like hers.

"This isn't possible." Bri said, shivering.

"Impossible took a walk off a short pier a while back, Bri." Anya said gently. "I do forgive you. You need to forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"What?" Bri stammered. "I don't... No... You can't..." She curled up on herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. "I can't..." She sobbed.

"Oh Bri." Somehow Anya was kneeling beside her, holding her. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen of your years. We mature fast. You know that." Bri managed to croak out after a moment. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Anya. I didn't."

"I know." Anya said sadly. "Harbinger was _very_ clear on that." Bri stiffened.

"Wait, what?" Bri asked slowly. "Harbinger? What does _Harbinger_ have to do with any of this?" The leader of the Reapers?

"A lot." Anya said gently. "Bri, what is your first coherent memory?"

"What?" The Collector asked, unsure. "I..." Anya looked at her and Bri sighed. "I was in the cloning tank. I heard a voice that told me I was a mistake, but a useful one. It was Harbinger."

"You were _not_ a mistake." Anya said, hugging the stunned Collector. "It said you were what it was trying for all along."

"I don't understand." Bri said slowly, confused. "Me? Why?"

"Bri..." Anya said gently, "Where was Harbinger when the Citadel pulsed? When Shepard fired the Crucible and Synthesis happened?"

"Earth." Bri said, clearly not sure where this was going. "It tried to stop Shepard. Why? What does Harbinger's location have to do with any of this? It did as it was programmed."

"It did." Anya asked slowly. "The Catalyst was programmed to find a way to stop the chaos of synthetics slaughtering organics. It 'inconvenienced' the Leviathans, so they set the AI to work on a solution and forgot about it." She shook her head. "For such an advanced, super smart and powerful race, they sure were morons." Bri surprised herself with a chuckle at Anya's sour tone. Anya smiled at her but then sobered. "But the Catalyst knew one thing, The Leviathans would _not_ be able to adjust. They would meddle again. They would try to take more thralls. They would threaten the peace, the order that the Catalyst was trying to make" Anya hugged Bri again. "Your ship was attacked at just about the same time the battle for Earth began. That was when the Catalyst started laying some long plans. As an AI, it laid those plans _fast_."

"Why?" Bri asked slowly. "I mean... Yes, we were strong. We had a lot of soldiers and the facilities to make the hybrid machines but..." She shook her head. "Why did Leviathan attack us?"

"Who would miss you, Bri?" Anya asked, her tone whisper soft. "If the Reapers fell -controlled, destroyed or synthesized- who would miss a ship full of Reaperized Protheans?" Bri stared at the human soldier and then she started to cry again. "Oh, Bri, it's okay. Shhh..." Anya soothed the scared Collector. "It's okay, Bri. It really is. We have a chance now. Which is more than I could say three days ago when I was snatched."

"How do you know how long it has been?" Bri asked, clearly confused. "I mean, obviously the drugs don't work right, but..."

"I had help." Anya said with a smile. "Bri, time passes differently here that in the real world and I need to ask a question." She sighed deeply and continued. "If you were free of Leviathan's influence, could you escape with Portia?"

"What?" The Collector female demanded. "Anya, I am a thrall. I have been for years. They own me! Anywhere I go, anything I DO, they can and will see me. Stop me."

"Not here." Anya said mildly. "They cannot touch your mind here. Not for lack of trying, but because they cannot understand this. Organics...have a hard time making sense of this place." They both looked around for a moment and shared a shudder.

"Where are we?" Bri asked, clinging to Anya as she looked around.

"We are inside a Reaper, Bri." Anya said gently. "This construct is one they use when they have to make contact with people like us in this way. It doesn't come naturally yet for anyone organic."

"A Reaper?" Bri shivered, but subsided when Anya hugged her again. "Obligatha?"

"No." Anya said quietly. "Although Obligatha is coming as well. This one was on site first." She shrugged. "Actually, it has been here since the war ended. Watching, waiting. Preparing."

"For what?" Bri asked slowly.

"For the Leviathans to make their move." Anya said with a nod. "As far as they are concerned, they are above anything _quaint_ like 'peace', or 'freedom'. All they care about is themselves. That is all they have ever cared about, and all they ever will."

"I know." Bri shivered again, harder. "Every time they touch my mind... I am just a _thing_ to them."

"But not to us." A deep an resonant voice sounded from somewhere and Bri went completely still as a image appeared nearby. It was a Reaper, and not just _any_ Reaper!

"Harbinger!" Bri screamed. "No! Don't!" She tried to recoil but Anya wouldn't let her go.

"Bri, it's all right." Anya said holding the struggling Collector tight. "It's all right." She pleaded.

"It will take control again!" Bri screamed, trying to get free. "Make me do horrible things again!"

"No, it won't." Anya said sharply. "Bri, calm down." The N7 said with command in her tone. Bri flinched and then, slowly relaxed a little as the holo did nothing but sit where it was. "We need you. 'I' need you, Bri. Please." Anya begged the now staring Collector.

"Bri Devisha..." The resonant voice of what had been the leader of the Reapers said quietly. "We regret what happened to you, more than you can know. We never intended the progenitors to take you. We...erred."

"Erred?" Bri asked softly, her tone halfway between wonder and terror.

"Yes." Harbinger replied, it's tone sad now. "We were created to serve a purpose, fulfill a function. We performed as designed. For eons as organic tell time, we fulfilled the function that we were designed for. But..." Harbinger made a noise like an electronic sigh. "In every Cycle, the catalyst tried to find a better solution. That is why it goaded a race whose name is lost now to antiquity to create the Crucible in the first place."

"It what?" Anya asked, curious. "It wanted the Crucible? And when was that?"

"That was fifteen cycles ago, Anya Solinus. The Catalyst's purpose was to find a way to preserve order. It transcended the original design." Harbinger said with a barely heard tinge of reproof in its voice. "It's original purpose was to stop thralls from inconveniencing the progenitors by building synthetics that turned on them and wiped them out. They had to keep enthralling new slaves. It _inconvenienced_ them." Hate sang in its tone now.

"Hell of a way to remove an inconvenience." Bri surprised herself by saying.

"It did not unfold as they had planned." Harbinger said quietly. "The catalyst decided that the only way to preserve order was to remove the chaos factors."

"And life is chaos." Anya said in the silence that fell.

"Indeed." Harbinger said sadly. "We were created to exterminate our people. We did, mostly."

"But what does that have to do with me taking Portia?" Bri asked slowly. "I can't. They will sense my disobedience and stun me or kill me as soon as I move."

"We lied to you, Bri Devisha." Harbinger said quietly. "You were not an experiment. You were intended to be the future."

"What?" Bri asked, her mind wheeling. Anya held her as she sagged.

"In every cycle, there was one race that predominated." Harbinger said quietly. "In the first cycle, it was the Leviathans. In the next to last cycle, the Protheans. In the last cycle, the humans."

"That never made sense to me." Anya said slowly. "We didn't have the numbers of the turians, the longevity of the asari, or the speed of the salarians."

"But you never gave up." Harbinger said softly, it's tone oddly gentle. "Your world was lost, your fleets scattered, your government torn asunder and you DID NOT submit. The turians fought, hard. It was all they know how to do. The krogan likewise, but their doom was a certainty. Your race may have been young in the galactic scene, but do not discount what you did. The salarians were quicker, but they hid themselves. The asari were far older, true, but they crumpled like paper under our final assault." Harbinger's tone held sadness now. "_Your_ race, Anya Solinus, held them all together. Your commitment, your drive, your need to win no matter the cost... These were what made your race the apex of the last cycle."

"If you say so." Anya said, making a face. "Bri?" She asked as the Collector stared at her and then at the holo.

"What do you mean, I was the future?" Bri asked Harbinger. "I am a Collector."

"No, you are not." Harbinger said gently. "You always knew you looked different from the other Collectors."

"I was a mistake." Bri said, her tone wooden. "I saw the medical reports."

"Bri Devisha..." Harbinger said sadly. "We lied to you. We circulated a great deal of information to protect that lie. You would have been in a _great_ deal of danger if we had not."

"Why?" Bri asked slowly. "It doesn't make any sense."

"It does." Harbinger said softly. "Bri Devisha, who leads an Empire?"

"_What_?" The collector asked sharply. "What had that got to do with..." She broke off as the holo seemed to glare at her. She gulped. "An Emperor."

"Yes." Harbinger said quietly. "The Prothean Empire was no different. It's royal family was large and diverse. All but one of them were on the Citadel when we attacked it, taking them completely by surprise and decapitating the Empire in a stroke."

"Who?" Bri asked.

"Do you know _why_ the one who calls himself Scholar called you Bri Devisha?" Harbinger asked. "You remember when you met?"

"He was stumbling..." Bri said, her eyes far away. "At first I thought he was one of us. He was... covered in goo and obviously disoriented. He looked at me and froze and said 'Bri? Is that you?' I responded with my designation, but he insisted on calling me Bri. He has ever since." She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense to me."

"You lack information." Harbinger said kindly. "When we attacked the Citadel, he had already been sent to stasis for rebelling. His mate and son were sent to certain death to quell a rebellion. Why wasn't he?" Bri stared at the holo.

"I..." Bri shook her head. Anya stared from her to the holo and back, opened her mouth and closed it. "I don't know. Anya?"

"Harbinger..." Anya breathed, wonder filling her tone. "Are you saying...?"

"The royal family's surname was Devisha." Harbinger said calmly. "His name was Holik Devisha. He was a prince of the Empire. They couldn't execute him, so they exiled him instead. And your name..." The Reaper said to Bri who froze in place. "...is Bri Devisha."

"No." Bri said, horrified. "No, I... No, I can't be... I am _not_ an ancient Prothean."

"No you are not, but... You were." Harbinger said sadly. "We took you in the assault on the Citadel. Your guards tried to kill you to prevent capture, but we took you. You were fourteen galactic standard years old." Bri was shivering and Anya held her. "Your memory was erased, not suppressed, erased and then reformatted. There was nothing left of who and what you were. Your body was also rebuilt, but not the same as the other Collectors. It had taken some damage and we wanted to be sure. You do not remember any life but the ship. You slept far more than you thought. The Collectors held you for us. Protected you for what some of us hoped and prayed was coming. An end."

"I don't understand." Bri said slowly. "If I _was_ a princess...?" She shook her head. "What does that have to do with _now_?"

"The Catalyst knew the Crucible had been built despite the heavy security. It had an approximate location." Harbinger said. Anya stiffened but Harbinger continued. "You need to understand, Anya Solinus, the Catalyst was an AI. It sought, to the end, a solution for the problem it had been posed. The Crucible gave it that solution."

"It planned all of that." Anya breathed at the scope, the sheer daunting scale of the plans that had unfolded over countless eons. "And Bri?"

"And in human terms, 'it hedged it's bets'." Harbinger said mildly. "Bri Devisha was intended to lead the Collectors if we were destroyed or controlled to go away. You would have remained an agent of the Catalyst, Bri Devisha. But then, your ship was attacked."

"I remember. The lights went out and I couldn't see. I couldn't do anything. I did as I had been taught, went to the com, but no one answered. I was tending Anya." Bri said softly. Anya looked at her and the Collector hung her head. "You were in pain." She scoffed. "You were _a_ pain." She crumpled a bit. "They wouldn't let me touch you. I had to use the mechs."

"It's for the best." Anya said sadly. "I would have killed you, given half the chance." She hugged Bri again. "It's all right. I did forgive you. You ordered her to find away to reproduce more Collectors using me?" She asked Harbinger.

"It was a stop-gap measure. All of their reproduction capabilities were lost when Shepard destroyed the Collector base beyond the Omega 4 relay. " Harbinger said, regret singing again in it's tone. "Looking back, it was a bad idea. Bri Devisha did _not_ know how to do it. She did the best she could, but it was not enough. She hurt you for no gain, and it hurt _her_. We are sorry. We apologize to you both." The Reaper said softly.

"And then Leviathan attacked." Anya mused. "I thought it was just to get more thralls. Was it?"

"We do not know." Harbinger said calmly. "We do not know if they knew who Bri Devisha was. As soon as Scholar saw her, they knew what we had done. Who she had been. Now, it does not matter."

"Agreed." Anya said soberly. "Bri. If we can shield your mind from Leviathan, _can_ you get Portia out of there?"

"Maybe." Bri said slowly. "Why?"

"Because as soon as they put me in the machine, it is going to explode. The blast will be more than sufficient to sterilize the planet. Not even Leviathans can survive such a holocaust." Anya said softly. "They think they fixed it. They are wrong. It cannot be fixed."

"How...Big...?" Bri asked, dazed. "I mean, how big an explosion?"

"Does it matter?" Anya asked sourly. "The one my dad made would have taken out the entire system. I highly doubt that the Leviathans made a smaller machine, or less powerful. Please, Bri..." Anya begged. "You are Portia's only chance."

"But..." Bri shook her head. "There is no way I will be able to get away in time if the blast is that big."

"If you can get out of the base with Portia Solinus, Bri Devisha..." Harbinger said quietly. "We will get you out of the system before the blast."

"What?" Bri asked, unsure.

"You don't think we just _sat_ here the whole time, do you?" Harbinger asked snidely. "We have been preparing."

"You know..." Anya said slowly. "You absorbed a _lot_ of Shepard when the Crucible fired, Harbinger."

"More than you know, Anya Solinus." Harbinger replied with a smugness in it's voice. Bri went stiff as another form appeared nearby, _this_ one was human, female and... Bri inhaled sharply as she recognized the woman.

"Hi Anya." Jane Shepard said calmly. "Nice day for an apocalypse?" She grinned, but her grin was melancholy.

"Jane?" Anya asked slowly. Then she nodded. "The Catalyst made some kind of backup?" She asked Harbinger.

"We do not know exactly what happened." Harbinger said, it sounded almost sheepish. "We attempted to block the human assault on the transport beam to the citadel and were only partially successful." Now it made a human sounding sigh. "We did not...understand..." Sadness sounded now. "We killed so many, for nothing."

"It wasn't just you, Harbinger." Jane Shepard said calmly. "Although I _do_ still hate you. Anya?"

"Are you...still...here...then?" Anya asked, awed.

"No." Jane said quietly. "Jane Shepard-..." She paused and swallowed. "-Vakarian...died when she cast herself into the beam that connected the Crucible with the Citadel. I am fragments of code. The Geth found a old copy of my mind in a dormant server on Rannoch. Apparently, Legion did not manage to wipe _all_ the traces when it sent me into the Geth consensus to remove Reaper infection there. They found the odd code and identified it. Then they freaked. They corroborated the data from other biometrics though. So, they knew it was me, but they could not get the file to accept stimuli. They contacted Harbinger for assistance and it used that file and fragments that _it_ had of me from when I traveled to the Citadel on the beam to make...well...me." She shrugged. "It's weird, I know."

"Par for the course around you, crazy woman." Anya said with a grin. "So... Now what?"

"Now I get to say goodbye." Jane said sadly. "Harbinger, are the others connected?"

"_Jane!_" A shout came from nearby as a turian form appeared. Garrus was crying as he surged forward, only to slam face first into something he couldn't see. He beat on the invisible wall impotently. "Jane..." he begged.

"We need some privacy, Harbinger." Jane said sadly. She and Garrus vanished.

"Anya?" A scared voice sounded and she smiled as she saw her sisters and Crado standing nearby on another larger square. Crado was shaking his head. "Anya... No..."

"Crado, this is the only way to be sure. I have to do this or they will keep coming." Anya said sadly as she hugged Bri again and rose. "Portia..." She said and a smaller form appeared on yet another square nearby. The little girl's face was set in a scowl and tears were falling.

"Anya... No." Portia said sharply. "You can stay here! They only need your body!"

"They are _going_ to try to wake me before they put me in the machine, Portia." Anya said sadly. "If they can't, they will stop, think. If we give them -and Scholar- time to do that, they will likely realize that the machine is still flawed. If _that_ happens..." She gulped.

"We are screwed." Portia said with a gulp of her own. "But... Anya... I..."

"Wait." Bri said slowly. She slumped. "They are going to want _me_ to tend you, Anya. Any time Scholar comes close, you struggle, even unconscious."

"He killed C." Anya said with a snarl. "If I get a hand on him, he is dead."

"So, no." Bri said with a sigh. "I can't get Portia clear."

"Okay." Anya said with a matching sigh. "Plan 'M', people." Her sisters vanished until only Crado and Portia remained.

"M?" Bri asked, somewhat worried.

"Migraine." Anya said with a smirk. "One problem with being a powerful telepath. If someone were to hit you with oh, say...fifty or so extreme emotions... at once...?" She smiled and then froze as another form appeared nearby and grabbed Portia who screamed. Anya shouted at Scholar who held the little girl carefully. "_You son of a bitch!_"

"Let her go, Anya!" Scholar called. "And I will let your sister go."

"Yeah, right." Anya said with a snarl. "After all the other lies you have told, I should take _anything_ you say at face value?" She held Bri loosely though and Bri looked at the being who was supposedly her brother. There was no resemblance. "I let Bri go and you run back to your masters and tell them what you saw. They lock me up, use Portia in the machine and kill her doing it. Portia?" She asked.

"Kill him." The girl snapped, then groaned as Scholar applied leverage on her held arm. "Does it please you to hurt people who trusted you, Scholar?"

"No." Scholar said quietly. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, just rebuild my people. C-Flat Viridian was about to attack me. I didn't have a choice."

"There are always choices." Bri said slowly. "Anya..." She looked at the human woman and Anya tilted her head in question. "I won't let him take her." She promised. Anya sighed and then released her grasp.

"Always so trus-" Scholar broke off with a grunt as _something_ hit him from behind, sending Portia flying. Bri was in motion, catching the screaming girl as she flew, then falling back as two forms grappled on the other square. _Two_ Protheans! "Javik!" Scholar gasped out as the old solder slammed him again and again, with power and fists. Then Scholar erupted in energy, throwing the soldier aside like a rag doll. "You cannot beat me, Javik. Not alone."

"Who says he is alone?" A familiar voice sounds as a _horde_ of other forms appeared nearby. At least a hundred Protheans were now clustered around the area, all with hate on their faces. In front of them all, Lipa's face was a mask of rage and hate as she summoned power. "Madre, we will hold him. Do what must be done."

"_No!_" Scholar screamed as he tried to do something, but green energy slammed into him from multiple directions, pinning him in place. "_No!_" He screamed again as Anya and Bri retreated with Portia.

"They will figure out something is wrong fairly quickly." Bri said, holding the now clinging human girl to her chest. Anya hugged her too.

"Right! Harbinger! Put us back!" Anya called. "Plan 'G'!"

"G?" Bri asked softly. "How many plans do you _have?_"

"Lots." Anya said with a smile as she started to fade. "They rarely work as intended, but... If you fail to plan, you plan to fail and all that."

"What is G?" Bri asked as she saw her own self start to fade. But she wasn't afraid now. Portia was holding her and everything was all right. Live or die, she wasn't alone anymore.

"Gone to Hell."


	76. Chapter 76

As soon as Bri opened her eyes, she slapped Scholar's limp hand away from her head. She swallowed heavily, but Scholar did not move from where he stood, his eyes rolled back.

"Anya?" She said quickly.

"I am here." Anya said quickly, opening her eyes and then sighing. "Still can't see."

"I can fix that." Bri said as she touched the side of Anya's head. A pulse of power and Anya's eyes focused on her. "Hello Anya." Bri said with a smile.

"Hi Bri." Anya said with a smile of her own, one that faded as she tried to sit up and couldn't. "Aw hell!"

"You are hurt." Bri said with a scowl as she helped Anya sit up. "You were being tortured..." She looked at the chrono and froze "Less than five minutes ago?" She asked, incredulous. "That was a _lot_ more than five minutes."

"Time passes differently there." Anya said with a grin. "Can you sense Leviathan?"

"I can usually feel when they 'look' at me." Bri admitted as she helped Anya out of the pod. "But I never really wanted to know. Come on, let's get Portia. Her eyes won't be healed for a bit. She _may_ be safer in the pod."

"No." Anya said flatly. "Live or die, she needs to be free." Bri nodded and hit a series of controls.

"I can't hide what I am doing forever." Bri said with a scowl. "I don't know how long it will be before they demand you for the machine." She keyed another series of commands and checked a video log. Then she nodded. "Oh. I see..." She said slowly, looking at Scholar's limp form with distaste. "He came in and found me with you gripping me, less than a minute ago. It doesn't look like he contacted anyone, just went after me. I wonder why."

"You are his sister." Anya said softly, trying to keep rage from her voice. "I want to kill him. I _burn_ to kill him. But... If I kill him, they will know immediately, won't they?"

"Yes." Bri said, working the controls to bring Portia's pod down. "You need to wake her up. I bet she is going to hurt me if I try. And I don't blame her." She opened the pod and Anya gasped. Bri nodded. Portia was _covered_ with medical gear. Tubes went a number of painful looking places, including both nostrils and both ears. Wires festooned much of her body as well. The girl's eyes were covered by bandages and her abdomen by a sterile sheet. Other than that, she was naked, better to get at her for medical procedures.

"What is all this?" Anya asked softly. "Is she...?" She touched Portia's cheek and the girl sighed in her sleep.

"She is fine." Bri said and then paused. "Well, she is alive. I tried hard not to hurt her. I put her on full support. They wanted her eggs to make clones of you." Anya made a gagging sound and Bri nodded. "Hold on while I set up a loop so the alarms won't go off when we remove her." She started hitting keys.

"Why didn't alarms go off when I got up?" Anya asked slowly, stroking Portia's shaved head. She avoided the wires connected to her sister/daughter's scalp and the bandages over the girl's eyes.

"We wanted to remove you soon, Anya." Bri reminded the N7. "I deactivated them before I opened the pod. Good thing too, or you grabbing me would have had a bunch of thralls come barging in to separate us."

"How many thralls in the area?" Anya asked, looking at herself and wincing. She wore a thin patient gown and nothing else. "And you don't happen to have a weapon here, do you?"

"No weapons, it's a medlab, and about a hundred all told.." Bri said absently. "But..." She smiled. "Anya, may I touch you?" Anya looked at her and Bri shrugged. "I don't want to get hit." Anya chuckled at her tone and nodded. Bri reached around in back of Anya's head and smiled as she touched something. "This should work."

Anya went stiff as power flared through her, called by her stress and fear. She instinctively dampened it, staring at her hands which glowed faintly blue. Her biotics were live, and more than live. She felt more energized than ever. Powerful, dangerous.

"Oh my god..." She said, awed. "How?"

"Portia donated some brain tissue." Bri said sadly. She indicated a bandage on the back of Portia's head and Anya inhaled sharply. "We didn't take much, less than a cubic centimeter all told. We transplanted it into you. Then we stimulated it to grow very quickly. To replace what you lost."

"But..." Anya was shaking her head. "I don't have an amp." Without a biotic amplifier, most humans couldn't do anything biotic related.

"Yes, you do." Bri said with a sigh. "Scholar had me implant an internal one like ours. Its organic. Portia got one too, it will grow with her but hers is deactivated." Anya stiffened and Bri continued quickly. "Anya, we need every advantage."

"I know, but..." Anya shook her head. "Why would he heal me? I am just meat, right? A walking, talking womb? A reproduction experiment."

"At first, yes." Bri said, sighing as she finished up her keys and then started gently unhooking Portia from the machinery. "That is all you were to any of us, Anya." Bri said, tears starting to fall. "That changed. I didn't..." She broke off, shaking herself. "I can't fall apart now. Later." She said sharply. She finished pulling the tubes out and hit keys to administer a stimulant. "She will wake shortly, and likely be very angry with me."

"I am not angry with you, Bri." Portia said calmly. Bri stepped back a pace as Anya stepped up. "You were nice. Scholar hurt me, you did not."

"I did the surgery that has temporarily blinded you, Portia." Bri said with a shake of her head as Anya gathered the girl up in her arms. Bri reached into a cabinet and produced a blanket that she wrapped around Portia. "Here. Don't want you getting a chill after all of this."

"Thank you." Portia said, wrapping her arms around Anya. "You were gentle, Bri. I was angry. Now I am not."

"I deserve your anger, but... Now what?" Bri asked. "There are bunch of thralls between here and the shuttle and I don't know how to fly it."

"I can." Anya said with a grimace. "I am not a pilot by trade, but I picked up some stuff. Where _are_ we?"

"We are in the Sigurd's Cradle sector. The Psi Tophet system." Bri said quietly. "Planet is..."

"2181 Despoina." Anya said slowly. "Where Shepard found Leviathan. They haven't moved?" She asked incredulously.

"From what I understand, they couldn't." Bri said with a sigh. "The Reapers effectively blockaded the system, both before the Crucible fired and after."

"So we are underwater." Anya said with a nod. "Things are starting to make sense. Questions Harbinger asked me. I thought they were nonsense." She grinned evilly. "Silly me."

"Do I want to know?" Bri asked, shivering. "That smile is dangerous, Anya."

"It asked a bunch of questions that didn't make sense." Anya said slowly. "Like how my ears felt. What I felt the air pressure was. I never saw any readouts for how deep we are, but it probably figured that out from my responses."

"What good would that do?" Bri asked curiously. "If Harbinger comes close, it will be disabled."

"Two words." Anya smirked. "Depth charges."

"Huh?" Bri asked intelligently. "What are depth charges?"

"Um..." Anya shook her head. "Bombs designed to explode underwater. They were used during several wars on my world to destroy ships that were designed to operate underwater. Since water is incompressible, explosions propagate much better. You don't need large explosions to do a _lot_ of damage."

"We are a _long_ way down, Anya." Bri replied, shaking her head. "And anything high tech can be disabled by Leviathan with a thought."

"That is just it." Anya said with a nod. "They are _not_ high tech. The ones on my world used a mechanical timer or a depth meter to detonate the charges, not a powered detonator. Not as efficient as a timer or standard detonator but impossible to jam or disable." All six of Bri's eyes went wide at that and Anya nodded. "When in doubt, get a bigger hammer. And I _highly_ doubt that Harbinger is going to underestimate the monsters that are responsible for the cycles."

"They could be listening in right now, Anya." Bri said slowly. "I mean,... I think the security cams in here reported only to Scholar, but I am not sure."

"Well..." Anya shrugged. Then she froze and her face paled. "No..." She breathed, horrified.

"Anya?" Bri asked, looking around. "What?"

"You don't hear it?" Anya asked, incredulous. "Listen." Bri focused her auditory apparatus and faintly heard something that sounded _very_ wrong. And it was coming closer.

"What is that?" Bri asked, fear coming to the fore. It was a wail, but not. It was a scream. But not. It was a cry of horror, of fear, of anger and rage.

"A Banshee." Anya said flatly. "Bri, take Portia. I have fought them before." She held out the girl to Bri, but the Collector shook her head. "Bri, _please_."

"Anya, think." Bri said sharply. "If you are loose, the thralls will attack. If we can distract them..." Screams came from nearby as the Banshee wailed again. But... "There is more than one. You don't think..." Everything stopped as something knocked on the door.

"What the hell?" Anya asked, gasping for breath as she fought the instinctive fear back. She moved Portia so she had one hand free. Whatever had knocked did it again. Then everyone jumped as the com chimed.

"Anya Solinus." The voice was inhuman. It was female, but was wrong in so many ways. The sibilants were on the wrong syllables, like someone was reading English without knowing how it was supposed to sound. "You go now."

"Who... Who are you?" Anya asked slowly. She stared at Bri and Bri shrugged.

"We the damned." The voice said softly and Bri stepped forward, despite Anya's half formed protest and opened the door. A huge spindly form stood just outside. It was covered in gore, and a long, bloody path stretched out behind it. The Banshee stood motionless. It held something out to Bri. "For you." Bri stared at the pistol and then, with a shudder, took it from the motionless claws. The Banshee spoke again. "Go. Take shuttle. Escape."

"Anya?" Bri held up the pistol and Anya barked a laugh. It was hers! One of her Eagle pistols!

"You go now." The Banshee said slowly. "Leviathans distracted. Soon all volunteers destroyed or enthralled. Go. Now!" The Banshee started lumbering off along the corridor that Anya shuddered to see was carpeted with corpses. Then the monster jerked and spun in place, an odd expression on it's face. But it was recognizable. Terror. "No... Leviathan taking control... Please..." The former Ardat-Yakshi begged. Anya nodded.

"Bri, take Portia." Anya said sternly, taking the pistol from the Collector. Bri took the shivering girl without protest. Anya checked her weapon automatically. It was fully charged and topped off with thermal clips. "Do you have a name?" She asked as she raised the pistol, clicking it to semi-automatic. No need to waste any rounds when she might need them soon.

"No longer." The banshee said in its odd voice. "Please. End. No wish slavery again." It begged. It opened it's mouth, exposing a vulnerable spot. A direct line to the Repearized asari's brain. Anya bowed her head, then it came up with a snap and she fired. The Banshee fell like a puppet with it's strings cut. But the Banshee was smiling as it curled up and then disintegrated with a final keen.

"My god..." Bri said softly. "You... fought those...?" She asked, stunned. Anya just nodded, checking her pistol. "You are _so_ much braver than me, Anya."

"Never was given a choice." Anya said soberly. "Come on. Which way to the shuttle?"

"Forward thirty meters, then left. After that fifty meters to the shuttle hatch. I hope it is unlocked, I don't have the codes." Bri said, following as Anya started off. "Yuck..." She swallowed heavily as she stepped on something that went squish. She did _not_ look.

"I am really, really glad I can't see, aren't I?" Portia asked in a small voice. "I wish I couldn't smell." She said with a sick look.

"Yeah." Bri said, biting back her bile. She was a doctor and surgeon, but _this_... This was far, far worse. "Was it always like this, Anya?" Bri asked, incredulous.

"No." Anya said from where she was ghosting forward, her body half crouched and her weapon leading. "Most of the time it was worse. This is fairly tame." Both Bri and Portia stared at her, but Anya didn't stop moving. "Come on! If Harbinger did what I think, we have only a few minutes before this place gets blown to hell."

"What do you think it did?" Bri asked carefully stepping around a pile of gruesome bits. "And how did Banshees get here? We are on the sea floor." Anya shrugged, but did not relax her vigil.

"Reaper minions don't need to breathe, Bri. Biotic fields would allow for fairly easy movement in water. And Brutes and Ravagers wouldn't need them." Anya said with a shudder. "Harbinger could have been dropping them on this world for the last ten years for all we know. Maybe it used meteors or something similar to land the troops undetected. Then they walked here along the sea floor. Would take a while, but..." She shrugged. "Who would look for them there?" Anya froze as another banshee wail came from somewhere nearby, followed by screams and the sound of gunfire. Then the shots stopped with dreadful finality and the wail sounded again, further away. Anya shook her head and started off again. Anya paused at an intersection, looked both ways and waved Bri on. "If I were Harbinger, I wouldn't have just dropped troops, I would have dropped explosives too."

"To destroy the base." Bri said, feeling faint. "Why haven't they?"

"They are probably holding off to give us a chance to flee..." Anya broke off and screamed.

Bri and Portia also screamed as _something_ tore through their minds. Agony the likes of which none of them had encountered before. Bri held Portia tight as the girl spasmed in her arms, but she could feel all of her own muscles convulsing. Bri couldn't see anything but red pain, couldn't hear anything but the screams of pain and fear that were fading now. She heard a rumble in the far distance. An explosion? What had happened?

"_Bri!_" She heard Anya call from far away. "Bri, look at me!" Anya yelled at her. "We have got to get out of here."

The Collector's cheek suddenly stung and she stared up at Anya. How had she gotten on the floor? She went cold. Where was Portia? She glanced around as saw Portia sobbing in a heap nearby. She pulled the crying girl to her, holding Portia tight as the girl clung to her.

"Wha-... What...Was..._that?_" Bri asked, dazed.

"I think one of the Leviathans just died." Anya said slowly, shaking her head. "We have _got_ to get out of here. Now."

"Right" Bri modulated her breathing, forcing herself to rise, still holding Portia. "Portia?" She asked, concerned. The girl snuggled closer, crying. But the girl was obviously not coherent. "That hurt her." Bri said quickly. "We have to get her out of here. I can't tend her here. Come on. It's not far." She staggered forward, trying with all her might to banish the pain and fear that had soaked her mind. Anya led the way again, an odd looking angel of death. It should have been comical, a woman in a patient gown leading the way. It wasn't.

They made the turn and paused. The corridor ahead of them was clear. No bodies. Not even any blood.

"Something is not right." Anya said slowly as she started off again, her weapon moving in trained reflex. "You saw what Banshees leave behind. This isn't right... Where are the bodies?"

"Cannibals?" Bri asked with a tremble in her voice.

"Too much water pressure for them, marauders or husks to move." Anya said slowly. "I think." She shook her head. "We need to get to the shuttle though. How is Portia?"

Bri looked at Portia who was curled up in the blanket, still crying. "Not good." She shook her head. "Anya, let me lead."

"Bri." Anya said flatly, but jerked up short as the Collector actually snarled at her.

"If a thrall sees you, they will attack." Bri said with a confidence she didn't really feel. "If they see _me_, they may hesitate, giving _you_ time to kill them."

"And if they don't, you are dead." Anya said sharply. "No." She started off again and Bri sighed. She strode forward, passing the stunned N7 who hissed at her, but Bri didn't pause or look back. She smiled sadly as she heard Anya mutter something about 'Has to be kin...No one else is quite so stupid...'

"Isn't it you humans who say 'If it is stupid and it works, it isn't stupid'?" Bri asked with a smile as she walked forward. Every step felt like an eternity, but in moments they were close to the hatch. She paused at the hatch, staring at the holographic keypad. It glowed green. Unlocked. "Is it just me, or is this too easy?"

"It's too easy." Anya agreed. "This is the only way in though, right?"

"Yes." Bri said with a shiver. Then she slumped. "What do I do? I am no soldier."

"Move to the side." Anya said quietly. "Out of the immediate line of fire. You won't be _safe_, but whoever is in there will focus on _me_ if they have _any_ sense whatsoever."

"Anya... I..." Bri shook her head and then leaned close to the N7 and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for forgiving me. But... If we get out of this, I have a _huge_ debt to pay."

Anya smiled at the Collector and patted her arm. Then she took a deep breath and power flared around her. Bri nodded and stepped to the side, flattening herself against the wall with Portia between her and the wall. The girl was so far gone she didn't even notice she was being crushed. Anya took a long, deep breath and then keyed the hatch. Her hands were up, one flaring with power and the other with her pistol ready as the hatch hissed open and...

"Going somewhere, girls?" Pedro Wilson Fuentes said snidely from his place in front of a line of troops in familiar black and white armor.

"You." Anya snarled, her face a mask of rage and hate.

Bri quailed. The line of Cerberus troops were all elites. Four Centurions, two Dragoons and a pair of Phantoms (!) stood near Wilson-Fuentes. She could see a Nemesis training her rifle on Anya and a robotic turret swung to cover her as well. So there was at least one engineer present as well. But the turret didn't fire! None of the troops so much as moved! The Nemesis moved the aim point of her rifle away from Anya. What the-? Bri was stunned when the Centurion closest to Wilson-Fuentes turned in place, raised his pistol and shot the man in the knee! Wilson-Fuentes went down, screaming and clutching his knee.

"I told you to shut up." The Centurion said in a mild tone before turning back to Anya. "Mrs. Solinus? We are here to get you out."

"You...are... what?" Anya asked, utterly dumbfounded. Then she stilled. "Yeah right." She snapped.

"You have no reason to trust us, Ma'am." The Centurion said with a nod. "I don't blame you." He said quietly. "After Benning... No one trusts us. With good reason." He sighed. "We do not have a lot of time. By my count we have four minutes left on the timers we have set."

"On what?" Anya asked slowly.

"On the thirty kiloton ordnance that we placed ten minutes ago on Harbinger's orders." The Centurion said quietly. "Right before the Banshees went in."

"You are...with..." Anya shook her head, obviously disbelieving.

"Mrs. Solinus." The Centurion said calmly. "You hate us, with good reason. I wasn't part of the team that you fought on Benning, but I -we-..." he indicated the other Cerberus personnel who stood impassive. "...were there. We didn't understand. We got orders..." He said slowly. "They didn't make sense, but they were orders. It was hardwired into our implants." He slumped a bit. "We couldn't disobey. Even..."

"Even when you were told to kill kids." Anya finished for him. "All of you?" She said, looking at each in turn.

"We are the last." The Centurion said quietly. "The last remnants of the Cerberus forces who were... tainted. Harbinger explained, after the Crucible fired and we woke up. They took control of the com systems, gave us orders. Made us rogue. They sent us instructions to a deep space rendezvous that turned out to be a Reaper. They took us, made us even more monstrous that we had been."

"And I should trust you, why?" Anya asked softly. Then she went white as every single Cerberus soldier dropped their weapons. "What?"

"We surrender to you, Anya Solinus. We are guilty of war crimes, all of us." The Centurion said softly. Wilson-Fuentes grabbed for one of the pistols and the Centurion kicked him hard enough that Bri heard ribs break. The Centurion drew his taser baton, slammed Wilson-Fuentes with it and then dropped it as well. Wilson-Fuentes spasmed on the floor, obviously unable to move. The Centurion nodded to the shuttle. "You should leave now."

"I get in that and get gassed or something?" Anya snapped. "I remember the _last_ time I trusted a shuttle I didn't know." Kai had tranked her and she had woken up in her parent's less than tender care.

"No, Ma'am." The centurion said softly. "Your pilot would kill us."

"My..." She froze as a form appeared in the shuttle hatch. Crado was smiling.

"We are on short time, Anya." Crado said softly. Anya shook her head. He _was_ a highly trained shuttle pilot, but...

"Crado?" Anya said slowly. "Code ninety." She said, a special codeword for situation when they couldn't be sure the enemy wasn't playing tricks. It had saved the entire team's lives more than once during the war.

"Forty three, Bravo." Crado gave the right reply gently. "Come on, mi amor. Let's go home."

"Right." Anya said with a nod. "_All_ of us." She said to the Centurion.

"Thank you, Ma'am." The Centurion said quietly as Crado vanished back into the shuttle and the troops started filing inside in an orderly fashion. He looked to where Wilson-Fuentes was starting to recover. "Him?"

"Leave him." Anya said coldly. The Centurion nodded, but then a soft, pain filled voice had Bri looking at the bundle in her arms.

"We are better than him, Anya." Portia said softly. "We have to be..._better_...than...him..." She gasped and started crying again. Bri gave her a squeeze, it was all she could do.

"Dang it." Anya said with a sigh. "She is right." She said with a sigh. "I hope you have something to tie him up with."

"Always duct tape, Ma'am." The Centurion said with a nod. Anya chuckled as Bri stepped towards the shuttle and freedom.

"I would have thought Cerberus would have some high tech replacement. They don't?" Anya asked as the Centurion gathered Wilson Fuentes up and hauled him towards the shuttle.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, Ma'am." The Centurion said with a smile in his voice as he produced a roll of the ubiquitous tape. Wilson-Fuentes started to struggle, but four sets of hands held him while the Centurion started wrapping. Anya was chuckling as she sat on one of the seats. Bri sat as well, and froze as one of the troops started scanning Portia. But it was a medical scan she recognized. The engineer was trying to help and Bri relaxed, slowly as the shuttle hatch closed and it rumbled.

"Hold on!" Crado called form the cockpit as the shuttle shot forward. "Thirty seconds to detonation!" Bri held Portia close and everyone grabbed hold of something. Several of the troops held her since she didn't fit any of the restraints on a human shuttle.

**{NO}** The scream filed her mind **{You will not escape!}**

{I am not your slave!} Bri snapped right back.

"Five seconds! Hang on!" Crado yelled and then a rumble sounded. The shuttle bounced and jerked harshly, but the hands that held Bri didn't let go. Agony filled her mind again and Bri could only take it for a moment before blacking out.


	77. Chapter 77

**Later**

Everything hurt. Every pore of Bri Devisha's body that she could feel hurt. Every muscle, every nerve was on fire. But... Parts of her body didn't feel at all. Numb wasn't good, was it? She almost nodded off. But a thought percolated through her brain. Portia. Portia was hurt, probably worse. She remembered hearing Portia scream just before Bri herself had blacked out. Hadn't she? She struggled against the softness that held her, not even realizing what was happening, just that she had to help Portia.

"Whoa!" A worried male voice sounded from nearby. It wasn't anyone she knew. "She is waking up!"

"_What?_" A sharp female voice sounded. "How the hell...?" A soft sigh sounded and the voice moderated. "Never mind, let her wake completely. We can't sedate her again, not with the damage."

{Damage?} Bri thought muzzily. She shook herself, aware now that she was lying on something that was firm, but soft. She tried to speak and couldn't. Her body wasn't obeying her. She couldn't help it, she panicked. She was struggling for all she was worth -not much- when a hand found hers and gave a squeeze. She paused, unsure.

"Bri Devisha, relax." The female voice was gentler now. "You are hurt. We are tending your wounds, but they are significant. You need to stop struggling. Please stop struggling." Bri relaxed, but when she tried to speak, she still couldn't. The female voice made a soft sound of dismay. "No, don't try to speak. We have a tube in to aid your breathing. Easy..." The female crooned softly. "We will take care of you." Bri shook her head. She had to find out about Anya and Portia. She had to know! She was trying to force words out past the tube when a hand found her crest and warmth flooded from it. A Prothean? Communicating with her like Scholar had on occasion? One of Anya's children maybe?

{Be at peace, Princess Bri.} The female voice was kind and gentle in her mind. {You are aboard the medical ship Merciful Flight. You are very badly hurt.}

{I am no princess, just Bri. Anya?} Bri asked as she started to shiver. {Portia?}

{They live.} The female said gently. {Like you, they are hurt, but alive. The shuttle was inside the blast radius of the weapon when it detonated. Everyone on the shuttle was hurt. Many critically. You are the worst. Apparently you held Portia so she was protected, but you hit your head several times. We are doing what we can. We will not leave you to face this alone.}

{How...bad...?} Bri asked slowly. The voice withdrew a bit and Bri had her answer. Her injuries were bad, maybe mortal. She sighed in her mind. {Do not blame yourself. Do not let Anya blame _her_self. I have done horrible things, to Anya and others. I was a slave, but that is no excuse. If I saved Portia, then that is the smallest recompense for what I have done.}

{Bri Devisha, we _will_ find a way to help you.} The voice said quietly. {There has to be a way. There are _many_ minds searching now. We will help you if it is even remotely possible. But you need to sleep again. Rest and conserve your energy for healing.}

{I know.} Bri said softly. {But... I am scared...} She admitted although the admission made her feel small.

{I will be here.} The kind voice promised. {After what you did for our Madre and her sister/daughter... It is the _least_ we can do. You are not alone, Bri Devisha. Rest. Save your strength.} Bri sighed into the tube and relaxed for the first time since she had woken. {My name is Lipa, Bri.}

{I wish we were meeting under other circumstances, Lipa.} Bri said as her energy fled and she felt sleep start to grasp at her again. On the edge of sleep, she heard voices.

"Vitals stabilizing." The man said, relieved. "Did it work?"

"She will sleep." The female -Lipa- said quietly. "I don't know for how long. I will stay with her, Joruz."

"Okay." The male replied. "I better get back before Anya tears out a bulkhead." Bri had only a moment to puzzle over that before she was asleep.

* * *

**A private room**

"_Not_ going to happen." Anya said flatly, her face set. She was careful not to move too quickly. Raan'ita got severely annoyed when her patients pulled out tubes and wires..

"Anya, look." Raanita vas Merciful Flight said sharply. "If we don't get more information, Bri is going to _die_. Her spine is _severed_ in two places! There is only one readily available source for Prothean medical information. Scholar."

"And if we let Scholar out of the mental prison the Harbinger has him in, he can do _untold_ damage." Anya said with a snap. She moved a bit, trying to get comfortable, but the cast on her leg was inconvenient. At least Raan'ita wouldn't let her hurt and it would heal quickly with the quarian's medical expertise. Breaking a femur was never good thing for a human. The cast immobilized her left leg from ankle to hip and she was already itching. She had hit the edge of the seat hard enough to snap the longest and strongest bone in the human body like a twig when the blast front from the nuke that had leveled the Leviathan's base -and apparently one of the Leviathans as well- had slammed into the shuttle. She was lucky. One of the Cerberus troops had tried to stabilize Bri, struck his head and been killed instantly despite his armor. "He can stay in that electronic limbo until he _rots_ for all I care."

The traitor's body had been destroyed with the Leviathan thrall's base of operations. But Harbinger had sequestered his mind in a prison of sorts within the Reaper's electronic storage spaces. Harbinger promised that Scholar could not escape and Obligatha vouched for the older Reaper, so Anya believed it.

"Anya." The quarian mistress of the ship said sternly. "Don't make me drug you. Calm down."

"You don't understand, Raan'ita." Anya said slowly, trying to do as the doctor asked. "C was the kindest, gentlest soul I have _ever_ met." The bedridden woman shook her head slowly. "I mean, she was no wilting flower, no innocent. She could be downright vicious when her friends or family were threatened, but otherwise... She was such a good being. You _met_ her, Raan'ita." Anya said, her eyes burning. "She was my friend." The human said softly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"I know, Anya. I did meet her and I liked her." Raan'ita said sadly. "She died trying to help you. That makes it worse."

"Yeah." Anya said slowly. "He just... 'Bang' and she was down. I couldn't do a damned thing after that swarm stung me. He killed her and the look on his face... He _said_ he was sorry, but he was lying." Anya said slowly. "I saw his face when he pulled the trigger. He cared about as much for killing one of my friends as Brutiz would kicking a pyjack." Raan'ita shuddered. Brutiz was a good soldier, but... Not the most diplomatic. Even for a krogan, he was fairly blunt at times. "I can neither forget nor forgive, Raan'ita. If I see him, I am going to destroy what is left of him or die trying."

"I..." The quarian sighed deeply. "I understand, Anya. I just... Bri is not going to make it without help. Her injuries are beyond my ability to heal." The admission clearly hurt the quarian.

"Is it because she is a Collector?" Anya asked slowly.

"Pretty much." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "She is not a Prothean, not anymore. I have done a lot of baseline scans of the group who came with me. Lipa has helped a great deal. But Bri's body is different. The wings are the smallest change. She has organs that I frankly don't have a _clue_ what they do. Organs that _none_ of the Protheans have. She is reacting to the sedatives differently too. If I start using anything stronger than I have, I may kill her out of ignorance."

"Have you asked Harbinger?" Anya asked slowly.

"I get the feeling it is baffled too. It was doing research, and promised to get back in touch soon." Raan'ita said, slumping. "I don't like losing patients, Anya."

"I know." Anya said sadly. She sighed and then visibly steeled herself. "Kai and Illia? Without C, they will sicken, maybe die."

"Catatonic." Raan'ita said soberly. "The medics clapped them in stasis as soon as they realized what had happened. We... I don't know what else to do."

"I need to contact C's mom." Anya said slowly. "I am _not_ looking forward to that conversation. She... doesn't like me."

"Why?" Raan'ita asked, curious.

"She said I was a bad influence on her daughter." Anya said with a sniff. Then she was crying. "She was right. Ah, C..." She sobbed, her hands coming up to hold her face. Raan'ita sat on her bed carefully and held her friend while Anya cried. "I couldn't _help her_!" Anya screamed and then cried some more.

"I know, Anya." Raan'ita said quietly, holding her friend while she sobbed. "I know."

"I know I am not rational about this." Anya said after a moment. "But Raan'ita... We can't trust anything he says. We don't _know_ if we got all the Leviathans. If we didn't..." They could take control of Scholar or Bri without warning. And if that happened, they likely wouldn't be gentle.

"Bri is stable for the moment." Raan'ita said in a sad voice. "That won't last."

"I know." Anya said with a shake. "She was so brave." The soldier said with a shiver. "So brave. I don't think she had ever seen a Banshee and she faced the one we encountered as if that kind of thing was normal." Both women looked up as the door chimed. Anya looked at Raan'ita who sighed.

"This _better_ be important." The quarian said with a distinct tone of 'threat'.

"It is." The voice of her husband and the XO of the ship came as the door hissed open. Joruz looked worried. His face may have been hidden by his mask, but that didn't matter much. "We just received a communication from the rachni. The queen wants us to meet her at the station."

"What?" Anya felt faint. "She never leaves her home..." She shook her head. "I..."

"Did she say why?" Raan'ita asked, concerned as Anya lay back down. "We are on our way there, but..." She broke off as Joruz shook her head. "Anya? Any ideas?"

"Punish me for getting her daughter killed?" Anya asked softly, then she was crying again. "I miss her, Raan'ita. I want her to come in, tell me I am being an idiot. But she won't. Not ever again." Joruz looked at Raan'ita and the female quarian nodded. The male one returned the nod and left, the hatch sliding shut behind him.

"You are grieving, Anya." Raanita said in a compassionate voice. "She was a sister to you. She loved you and you loved her." Anya nodded, obviously not able to speak. "Anya... I am sorry, Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "I am going to give you a mild sedative. It won't knock you out, but it will calm you down. Is that okay?" Anya nodded again and Raan'ita smiled sadly as she keyed her omni-tool to deliver the medication. Anya jerked a little and then relaxed. "There." Raan'ita crooned. "Better?"

"Yes." Anya said slowly. "Thank you, Raan'ita. I didn't want to make you put me back together again."

"I didn't, Anya." Raan'ita said soberly. Anya stared up at her and Raan'ita sighed. "One of the troops in the shuttle set and immobilized your leg. He did a good job. If he isn't locked up, I might snag him for my medical teams. We are always looking for top notch paramedics."

"One of them was killed, you said." Anya mused. "The others?"

"Mostly minor injuries, a few broken bones and a couple of concussions, nothing too serious. They were all in armor. They have been model prisoners, Anya." Raan'ita said quietly. "Your father hasn't woken yet. Of course..." She snarled a bit. "The tape holding him to his chair kept him from bouncing around too much. And I may have...encouraged him to sleep a bit longer than he should." Anya smiled at the quarian's tone. Raan'ita did _not_ like Anya's father. But then Raan'ita sighed. "Bri wasn't so lucky."

"Portia?" Anya asked softly.

"Bri held her close and tight. It took some effort to get Portia _out _of Bri's arms when we had them here. A concussion and some minor radiation burns." Raan'ita reassured her. "Nothing major. More like a bad sunburn than anything else. We tweaked the implants like Miranda did yours, she can see again. Anya..." Raan'ita said thoughtfully. "You know what those troops did."

"Benning." Anya said quietly. "They told me. Right before they surrendered." She shook her head. "What do I _do_, Raan'ita?" Anya asked, almost blubbering. "I wasn't rational about Benning _before_, and now all of _this_..." She waved a slow hand around the room. It was a small room, but one she was quite familiar with. She had woken here a few times.

"My advice, Anya..." Raan'ita replied gently. "...is this. Do nothing right now. You are out of sorts and no one blames you at all. You don't have to do _anything_ right now except let your leg heal. Since it was set and immobilized so quickly, the treatment will be quick. You will be back on your feet in a day, if a bit slow for a couple of days after that."

"I need to meet the queen, Raan'ita." Anya said quietly. "I will take whatever punishment she decrees." Raan'ita stiffened, but Anya did not stop. "You will _not_ interfere and you will _not_ let anyone else either." Command sang in her voice.

"_Anya!_" The quarian snapped, but froze as Anya glared at her. "I can't let you..."

"Raan'ita." Anya's voice was soft, but clear. "C was my responsibility. She sent her guards home, they didn't fit through most of the doorways on the station. I was supposed to keep her safe and I failed. I failed my friend. I failed the queen's only fertile daughter and now she is dead. I don't know what the queen is going to demand. But whatever it is, I _will_ give her. Clear?" Anya said sharply when Raan'ita would have protested.

"Anya... I..." Raan'ita stammered and then shut her mouth.

"Raan'ita, please." Anya said sadly. "I was in command, the responsibility is mine and mine alone." She turned to the wall and spoke sharply. "That goes for _you_ too." Raani'ita went stiff as a tactical cloak deactivated and Crado stood there, his face abject.

"How did you...?" The quarian started and then grimaced. "Never mind, you snuck in when Joruz opened the door." Crado bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"I had to see her." Crado said softly as he came to the bedside and took one of hands in both of his. "Now I am glad I am here. Anya, we _both_ took responsibility. And you are going nowhere without me." Anya stared at him and sighed.

"And the chances of you knocking him out and locking him up are..." She looked at Raan'ita who looked back at her. Anya sighed again. "Figured."

"Don't stress her." Raan'ita warned the turian.

"I can't help that, doc." Crado said with a shrug. "One of your crew wants to talk to her. She cornered me in the mess. Asked me to ask Anya."

"Drat that girl." Raan'ita said sourly. "I _told_ her to wait."

"What is going on?" Anya asked, confused.

"You are one of the matriarchs of clan Solinus." Crado said with a nod. "_You_ make such decisions, not me. That is what I told Nira."

"Nira?" Anya paused, thinking. "Nira Gradas? The biotic who was hurt in the mission on Noveria? The one who lost her legs?" She prided herself on remembering the people she had commanded, the ones who had survived whole and the ones who had not. As well as the lost who far outnumbered both. Of course she _had_ heard the name more recently. But she couldn't talk about that.

"That's her." Crado said quietly. "Raan'ita? It's sort of clan business."

"I am _not_ leaving." Raanita said with a touch of ice. "Anya is my patient as well as my friend. Nira is both as well as a member of my crew."

"Wait. What?" Anya said slowly. "Patient? That was _ten_ years ago! She has to have recovered by now!" Cardo and Raan'ita shared a look and Anya started to snarl, but then she relaxed and sighed. "What? Just tell me please."

"Anya..." Raan'ita said slowly. "You know that biotics can have...odd effects when they are hurt. You certainly did the first time I had you in for surgery."

"At least I stopped glowing before you opened me up." Anya quipped but then she paused as a look of sorrow came over both the turian and quarian's faces. "What?"

"Nira's body rejected her prosthesis." Raan'ita said softly. Anya went stiff and Raan'ita nodded. "Doctors have been trying for ten years to get her body to accept replacements. Cloned, artificial... It doesn't matter. They refuse to work. She was... despondent, maybe a week or so away from eating a bullet. I found her in a Veterans hospital on Palaven, I brought her along when I got the ship. She works in my lab." Anya looked at her friend and then nodded slowly.

"No family left." It wasn't a question. Anya took a deep breath and nodded to Crado. "And she wants to join our clan?"

"Anya." Raan'ita said sharply. "Don't you dare hurt her!" She broke off as Anya looked at her. The look in the female human's eyes... "I..."

"You know me better than that, Raan'ita." Anya said with a nod. "I won't hurt her. And I won't jump into anything feet first." She looked a question at her husband.

"She wants to talk to you, Anya." Crado said quietly. "She didn't say why. Just that she had to talk to you." Anya nodded. "You want me here?" Anya thought hard for a moment and then shook her head.

"I want you here." Anya said quietly. "But if it _is_ a question of clan, then it is personal. And her laying herself bare to me, or Raan'ita is one thing. I was her commander, Raan'ita is her doctor. To you?"

"Always others." Crado said with a sad smile. "I love you, Anya. I will send her." Anya smiled at him as he walked to the door and it hissed open. He smiled widely. "Nira! Fancy meeting _you_ here, girl." A large form appeared in the door and Anya hissed.

Even prepared as Anya had thought she was, the sight of the turian female in a motorized wheelchair hurt. Crado patted her shoulder and was gone. The turian looked...scared. Her legs ended just below the knee and were strapped to the chair. She looked wan, bonier than normal for a female turian.

"Come on in, Nira." Anya said quietly. Raan'ita looked thunderous, but Anya quelled her with a look. "How much did you overhear?"

"I am sorry, doctor." Nira said slowly. "I mean..." She shook her head, angry.

"Nira." Anya said quietly, but with force. "Calm down. You were Cabal, or _course_ you eavesdrop. It was what you were trained to _do_, get information." She did not say the rest, which was to kill with said information. "I am the angry one, remember? Not you. So stop." She smiled to take the sting from her words. "I scared you, that day on Benning. I scared everyone. Hell, I scared Mrosh and _that_ took some doing." She said with a grin.

"When a krogan elder backs away from you, his hand on his hammer, you know you have worried him." Nira said with a smile that didn't touch her eyes. "It's good to see you again, Anya."

"I didn't know, Nira." Anya said quietly. "Can you come closer? I want to touch you and I can't leave the bed or Raan'ita will hit me with a brick." The turian smiled at that as Raan'ita made a lordly scowl that was comical. Nira rolled her chair close to the bed and held out a hand to Anya, who took it in one of hers. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"You knew Shepard." Nira said softly. Anya stiffened. She hadn't expected _that _so soon. "I..." The turian broke off, obviously embarrassed.

"What, Nira?" Anya asked, her tone kind.

"This is going to sound weird." Nira said with a sigh. "I mean. I know weird is part and parcel of our lives, but..." She shook her head. "Ah spirits...I am just going to say it. I dreamed of Shepard last night." She looked at Raan'ita and Anya as if expecting both to scoff, but neither did. "She told me to..." She shook her head. "This is embarrassing."

"Nira." Anya pressed. "What?"

"You know I always admired General Vakarian." Nira hung her head. Anya nodded, Nira's crush hadn't been a secret. "Shepard asked me a bunch of questions. Then she told me -ordered me even- to talk to you. It was a dream, but it felt so real. She was so sad, but so strong." Raan'ita stared from Nira to Anya and Anya jerked her head at the door. Raan'ita sighed but rose. She patted Nira's shoulder and left the room.

"Nira." Anya said kindly. "It wasn't a dream." The turian jerked and her eyes went wild. "Nira!" Anya barked in command voice and the turian responded, her bone deep discipline holding her in place. "Calm. Down." Anya commanded.

"It... wasn't a dream?" Nira asked, her tone oddly childlike.

"You are member of my adopted family, Nira." Anya said, pulling the unresisting form close. "The team became a family. With all the rough edges and heartaches that come with family. Seeing that Brute take your legs off was hard, Nira. I was too far away and all my powers were on cooldown."

"I didn't feel it. I was out like a light." Nira said with a shudder. "Didn't feel a thing until I woke up in Raan'ita's care. If it was Shepard... Is she still alive?"

"No." Anya said sadly. "And that is all I can say. Operational security is still in effect, Nira." The turian nodded, she understood. "But I think I know _why_ she talked to you, told you to talk to me. You heard about Jani?"

"The whole hierarchy heard about what he did." Nira said with a grin. "I lost money on that, but am glad I did. I said he would use a knife. I think this turned out better."

"As angry as he was, I am not surprised." Anya said with a sad smile. "Nira, have you met General Vakarian since the war ended?"

"Yes." Nira said with a sigh. "He came by the hospital a few times. He always called me by name." She paused. "Why would he do that? Call me by name instead of my rank?" She asked, puzzled. Anya let go of her hand and sat back, scrutinizing the turian. "What?" Nira asked slowly.

"Why do you think, Nira?" Anya asked slowly.

"I don't _know_!" Nira protested. "He never said, just came by to say hello."

"Nira." Anya said patiently. "He was one of the most decorated, most prestigious heroes of the war and he came by _your_ hospital just to say hello to _you_?" She said, shaking her head. "Geez, and they call _me_ dense." She muttered half under her breath.

"What?" Nira asked, her voice even smaller than before. "But.. I..." She waved a hand at her legs.

"Nira." Anya said with a sigh. "I know Garrus. Do you think he cares about that? Have you seen his face recently?" She said with a laugh.

"Anya!" Nira snapped, her ire rising. "Don't say that about him!"

"Say what?" Anya asked slowly. "That he cares about what is _inside_ rather than _outside_?" Nira stared at her and then shook her head, dumbfounded.

"But... he loves Shepard..." Nira protested halfheartedly.

"And he has lost her." Anya said sadly. "For the second and last time, Nira." Nira paled and Anya nodded. "She wants him happy. And so do I." She looked sidelong at Nira who twitched under her scrutiny. "_Your_ happiness also matters to me. I didn't know about your problems and I will see if anything can be done. No one told me." She was going to have...words with some people about that. She blew out a deep breath. "How old are you, Nira?"

"Twenty six, why?" The turian asked slowly. She froze as Anya keyed up her omni-tool and started typing keys. "Anya..."?" She asked, cautiously.

"If we are going to do this, we are going to do it right." Anya said, still typing. "Form... seven B six... To start I think." She mused. "Ah, yes here we go. Have you considered children?" She asked Nira absently, apparently ignoring the turian's increasingly impassioned pleas. "Would you prefer male children or female?" She asked.

"Anya!" Nira snapped at last . "How the hell can..." She broke off as Anya looked up. The human woman was crying, but her face was radiant. "Anya?" She asked, confused.

"You are not a cripple, Nira." Anya said softly. "You are _not_ a burden, a leech or some lazy good for nothing scum. You are my friend. If we had adopted you before this, the forms would be less complex, but I can handle it. Would you like me to stand as your matriarch?"

"Anya... I..." Nira burst into tears, aghast at herself for losing control.

"You would be good for Garrus." Anya said softly. "And I think he would be good for you. As you have no clan and thus no matriarch, Clan Solinus will stand as your kin for this, Nira Gradas. I will stand for you. If you wish."

"But... I..." Nira shook her head, utterly confounded. "I need to talk to Garrus..."

"Nira." Anya said kindly. "Who do you think asked Shepard to talk to you? To ask you what you wanted?" She laughed delightedly at Nira's expression. "For such a brave turian, he sure gets cowardly at odd times..." Nira stared at Anya, laughed just a little hysterically, and then sighed and relaxed. Anya smiled. "Good. Lets get the basic forms out of the way, and then you and I can talk. Marriage is not a small step and Garrus... Well... He is Garrus. This is _not_ something to jump into. You better be sure."

"Shepard said the same thing." Nira said softly, as if dazed.

"She was right." Anya said quietly. "Okay,... Hmmm... I'll fill out the declaration of intent to marry forms but I need to ask you some questions." Nira nodded. "Current rank and service number?"

"Mine or his?" Nira asked absently.

"_Nira!_" Anya snapped but her eyes were dancing. She reached out and patted Nira's hand with her free one. "Let's get the bad stuff done fast so we can talk, okay? What are your rank and service number? I have been out of touch and didn't have your number memorized."

"My current rank is lieutenant." Nira said softly. "On disability leave." She rattled off her service number and relaxed slowly as Anya started filling out the forms that would help her face the future with leave from the Hierarchy.


	78. Chapter 78

**Five hours later**

Anya sat alone. She had put her feet down. Crado was needed to help keep everything in line. The Merciful Flight was not a warship, and was certainly not set up to handle prisoners. The Cerberus troops were cooperating. Pedro Wilson-Fuentes was not. Raan'ita was needed to tend her patients. Bri was still holding on, if only barely. Portia had woken, eaten something and then gone back to sleep content. She was bouncing back from her ordeals as only kids could, with a ready smile that only occasionally turned fearful or melancholy. Nira and Anya had talked for two hours before Anya had nodded off in the middle of an enlightening talk about turian face paint significance. Anya had known, intellectually, what it meant, but it hadn't really sunk in. Anya had been insulting most of turian society without even recognizing or knowing what she was doing. She had to talk to Granli and Crado about that, but first... She needed to do this.

She watched as the huge starship she could see out the docking tube viewports reoriented itself and then slowly matched speed and velocity with the Merciful Flight. Raan'ita had been dead set against this. Crado had been less than enthused as well. Anya had finally managed to get _both_ of them to listen to her by the simple expedient of telling them she _would_ get up and walk to the docking bay on her own if they didn't help her. That had shut them up. They knew her better than to think she was bluffing. She sighed and patted the cast on her leg. It hurt like blazes, but she had to do this and Raan'ita was sure that getting her into the chair hadn't rebroken the leg. Sitting up was little fun, but Anya knew what was coming would be worse. She watched the huge docking tube extend to meet the hospital ship and sighed inwardly.

Rachni had star ships of course. But the queen wasn't ever supposed to leave her home cavern. So none of the ones they had currently were sized for her. Anya had been ready to get in a ship and travel to the rachni's world herself, but then the Geth had gotten involved. Since the war, the Geth had embraced the idea of rapid transport and delivery so much that now almost fifty percent of the galaxy's priority courier ships were Geth. After all, they didn't need quaint things like, oh, sleep...food... Oxygen... Apparently, the Consensus was making some of the trillonaires in the galaxy nervous. Notably _not_ Tualo Godas-clan who had been enthusiastic in his support of the first commercial Geth delivery service. Their motto? 'On time, every time'.

Anya bowed her head as she heard and felt the docking tube seat itself against the Merciful Flight's main cargo hatch. Then a hiss of equalizing pressure. But then her head shot up as a familiar voice sounded.

"Hey, Hurlie girlie, you moping again?" Anya's eyes went wide as Illia stepped from the now open hatch. The words were light, but the asari's face was sad, drawn by grief and pain. "Hello Anya."

"I..." Anya stammered. "Illia? I thought you were in stasis."

"I was." Illia said softly. "I didn't handle what happened well. Kai was worse. They shipped us off to the rachni like overnight freight and woke us up there. She is still in recovery. They say she will make it. Be fine." Anya slumped a bit.

"I am glad." Anya said slowly. "Is the queen...?" She broke off as a _huge_ shadow appeared behind Illia. It would take the queen a few minutes to make the crossing. She hit the controls to move her chair into the center of the bay. "Illia, you are here to translate?"

"I am." The asari said softly, but her face was worried. "Anya...Don't do anything stupid."

"I failed my friend, Illia." Anya said slowly. "I failed her, I failed you and I failed Kai. I thought we were safe."

"Anya, we _all _failed her. We _all_ did." Illia protested. "_None_ of us could have predicted that _Scholar_ of all people was a traitor. C-Flat Viridian..." There was only a minor catch when Illia said the name. "...scanned his mind and there was _no_ trace of control. No evidence whatsoever. It is not your fault." The asari said quietly.

"No." Anya agreed. "But it was my responsibility. Her safety was my responsibility and I failed her. I failed the charge her mother laid on me. I accept whatever the queen decrees as punishment." Illia froze and would have spoken, except a soft sound buzzed through the bay, silencing everything. Illia turned to the huge form that entered the bay and when she turned back to Anya, her eyes were silver.

"You blame yourself." The rachni queen said through Illia. Her voice was everything C-Flat Viridian's had been, but more. So much more. The soft but vibrant words were not a question.

"If I had seen through Scholar's deception before, maybe I could have stopped him." Anya said slowly. "The signs were all there."

"Leviathan was evil." The queen said softly through Illia. "Smart, cunning and very careful. Perhaps merely amoral, but we believed them evil, selfish and evil. You would have died or been taken before this."

"But maybe C would still be alive." Anya said, hanging her head. She froze as a crack sounded. She looked up to see the queen had struck the deck with one of her whip like appendages.

"You have touched evil, Anya Solinus." The queen said sharply through Illia. "But you are not evil. My daughter _knew_ this." The queen said sadly. "To my shame, I did not see. I did not understand. I saw you as a pale imitation of Shepard. And your anger... frightened me. She saw you as _you_, Anya Solinus. She quarreled with me. She demanded I see you as she did. I could not. Then you died and she... lost much of what she was. She grieved for you." Anya bowed her head but the queen wasn't done. "When she received the call that you had survived, that you needed her help, she defied my orders and left the hive without permission."

"She... what?" Anya gasped. As far as she knew, that was utterly impossible. Rachni obeyed. It was what they did, what they were. "I don't believe it."

"Trust me..." The queen's voice sounding through Illia turned wry. "The feeling was mutual. We caught her quickly but she did it again, this time taking a ship. I tried to call her back and she demanded something of me. She asked me if I loved her." Anya felt her eyes burn and the queen made a soothing noise. "Of course I loved her, she was my daughter, if exasperating at times. Then she showed me her full feelings for you." The queen lowered herself carefully so her eyes were level with Anya's. "She loved you."

"I know." Anya said, tears starting to fall.

"And you loved her." The queen said, her tone so sad. "You watched one you loved die in front of you. Oh, child..." The queen's sorrow was palpable. Anya froze as one of the queen's vicious claws came close and touched her gently on the arm. "Such poignant tunes." Anya gave a small cry and pulled the claw close, embracing it as it the appendage were her friend. The rachni queen did not react. "It is not your fault, Anya Solinus." Anya shook her head, but the queen continued. "Illia and Kai both blame themselves as much as you blame yourself, Anya Solinus. This discordance is false. It is not _their_ fault. It is _not_ your fault."

"I promised C that she would be safe." Anya said slowly, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her patient gown. "I failed her."

"So did I." The queen said softly. Anya stiffened and looked up to see the queen looking at her calmly. "None of us expected what happened. But..." The queen paused in her words through Illia and then spoke again. "I should have insisted the guards remain. They could have stopped the traitor, easily. She sensed something off. But it was assumed that she was being excitable. Or that the taint of the Cerberus facility was stronger than the renovations."

"C _was_ excitable at times." Anya said sadly. "I remember when she saw Vaenia for the first time. I thought she was going to swoon." Illia grinned a bit at that, obviously her own expression.

"Yes." The elder rachni projected amusement. "_That_ bubbled through the hive for weeks after she shared it. It was...interesting."

"One way to put it." Anya said with a slightly strained grin. "I couldn't do anything." Anya said, tears falling again. "**_I couldn't do anything!_**" She screamed. Far from cowed, the rachni came closer.

"I know." The queen's calm acceptance destroyed what few barriers Anya had left to her emotions and she was suddenly sobbing hard, heaving as grief she had buried surged back up. She felt something lift her up from the chair, and then... She was surrounded by something warm. {_We_ know.} The rachni said gently directly to Anya's mind, soothing her as she cried. {Our child loved you. How can we not?}

{I got C killed.} Anya protested, but soothing notes sounded in her mind.

{No.} The queen countermanded her. {C-Flat Viridian did as she always did. She saw evil and moved to oppose it. She could no more have stood aside at such a time than _you_ could, Anya Solinus. She did what she did, knowing she was in grave danger but hoping to help you. You humans have saying that is particularly apt. 'All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.' She did something. Was it wrong? I do not know. She did not think so. I think, if given the choice to do it differently, she would do the same thing again.} Anya relaxed in the queen's embrace. Tears were still falling, but the queen's gentleness soothed her. It felt, unsurprisingly, like C-Flat Viridian's embrace had. Finally Anya spoke aloud.

"I need to know something." Anya said without opening her eyes. She knew where she was. The queen's stubby arms were holding Anya close to the rachni's abdomen, where the warmth of the queen's body could keep her warm and the subharmonics of the queen's songs could play along her whole body easily to ease her taut muscles, soother her jangling nerves. "Was I the reason she did not grow larger? She didn't grow _any_ in the ten years I was gone."

"Yes and no." The queen replied. Anya stiffened but the queen soothed her again. "You did not _hurt_ her, Anya Solinus. But she liked being around humans so she decided to stay small, not molt. We can choose that. It is uncomfortable at times, but it is possible. It was easier for her to get around in places designed for humans."

"But... then..." Anya froze solid as she felt movement, then she was back in her chair and hands that she knew were Illia's somehow were carefully situating the cast so she could sit easily. "Did she... umm...?" She broke off, embarrassed. How _did_ one ask politely if a rachni had reproduced?

"Someone would like to meet you, Anya Solinus." The queen replied and Anya opened her eyes. The rachni was close enough to touch and Anya reached out to caress the warm chitin. "Actually, several someones."

"Who?" Anya asked slowly, then froze as a group of smaller rachni appeared in the tube behind the queen. Four of them. They... She stiffened in shock. They all looked like C! But then she realized each had small variations of color on their chitin. She had no difficulty telling them apart.

"You will need music instructors as well as security that Leviathan cannot easily subvert if any of them survived." The queen said softly. Then Anya realized something that been teasing at her mind until just then. The queen _wasn't_ talking through Illia. Anya understood her just fine! She hadn't been able to before the queen had picked her up, but now she could! Anya stared from the queen to Illia. The asari translator was smiling, but her eyes were the normal asari blue and her mouth was shut. The queen had a smile in her voice when she spoke again. Anya could her hear words, although normal humans couldn't hear rachni speech, Anya _could_. "You need to be able to understand them." Behind the words, Anya heard songs. Many, many faint songs.

"You made me able to hear and understand your speech? But..." Anya protested. "I thought it was against the law or something. I thought only translators could, people who served the hive above all others. That is what C said anyway when I asked her."

"That was true then." The queen said quietly. "But... times change, Anya Solinus and my people must change with the times. If we cannot trust _you_, who _can_ we trust?" The queen asked with a sour lilt. The huge rachni looked at the smaller ones. "Be gentle, she is hurt." The soft words were a command as the four smaller rachni moved closer to Anya's chair.

"Anya Solinus." One said in a singsong tone. "We are C-Flat Sepia, C-Flat Magenta, C-Flat Amethyst and C-Flat Citrine." Each made a motion with its whip like appendages in turn as the names were spoken. The speaking one did so last, so it had to be C-Flat Citrine.

"You are C's kids." Anya said slowly, dazed.

"She raised us specifically to assist her in dealing with the other societies of the galaxy." C-Flat Citrine said quietly. "We mourn our mother as you and her mother do. We remember her, and we wish to fulfill her dream of sharing our songs with the other races of the galaxy."

"A worthy goal." Anya said slowly. "I will help." She held out a hand and the rachni that had been speaking came forward to touch Anya's hand with its head. "I have one request of all of you. Your mother..." Anya swallowed and then continued. "Your mother trusted me, and I trusted her. If she saw me making a mistake, she would not remain silent for fear of hurting my feelings. She spoke up, sharply on occasion. To my regret, I did not always listen to take her advice. I couldn't always." Anya looked at each young rachni in turn. "If you see me making a mistake, _say something_. I cannot guarantee I will always listen, or even be polite, but it helps. It truly does."

"You are wise, Anya Solinus." The rachni queen said sadly. "I wish you the best."

"There is one thing..." Anya said slowly and the queen looked at her. "When I was hurt, saving C-Flat Viridian, your healers tended me. Their skill was incredible." The queen made a motion that Anya interpreted as 'get on with it' and Anya continued. "When I was captured by Leviathan, one of its slaves helped me and Portia escape. She was gravely wounded during our flight. Her spine was severed at the same time this happened." She tapped the cast on her leg. "The healers here cannot help her. Can you?"

"Why would they be unable to help this former thrall?" The queen asked cautiously.

"She is a Collector." Anya said far more calmly than she felt. "A Prothean who was remade by the Reapers and then enslaved by Leviathan. And... she is different from standard Collectors. All of them were male. Except one."

"I...see..." The queen said slowly. Her head turned away and Anya had the impression the queen was talking to someone that couldn't be seen. Anya remained silent while the queen stood. Her leg started to hurt, but she ignored it. Finally the queen looked at Anya. "You ask nothing for yourself? I can feel your pain."

"If you can help Bri, that would be wonderful." Anya said with a smile. "I will do whatever you wish that is in my power." She froze as the queen stood up to her full height, obviously agitated. "What?"

"She was right, Anya Solinus...Always others." The queen said sourly. "You _do_ realize that C-Flat Viridian considered you part of our hive, right?"

"Yes." Anya said, unsure how she had given offense. The queen reached out with one of her whip-like appendages and laid the claw at the end of it on Anya's cast. Suddenly her leg didn't hurt anymore.

"Hive mates help one another, Anya Solinus." The queen said quietly. "At least, good hives do. I have tried to make my hive good."

"You succeeded." Anya said slowly, laying a hand on the claw and squeezing it. "Thank you. I will try not to be so dense in the future."

"You are welcome, Anya Solinus." The queen said with a faint tinge of amusement. Then she became all business. "Illia!"

"Yes, my queen?" The asari had been watching from the side, her smile growing wider and wider. Now it vanished.

"All the information that we have on Collectors is being forwarded to C-Flat Viridian's ship. The children can use it as temporary or permanent housing. You will remain with them." Illia bowed her head. "Anya Solinus will need you to keep these out of trouble." All four young rachni stiffened as the queen turned to them. "You will obey Anya Solinus and Illia as you would me. They may designate others for such a leadership role, they may not. You will obey them." All four nodded in unison. Then the queen turned her gaze back to Anya. "Anya Solinus, we do not have a great deal of information available on Collectors. C-Flat Viridian had a full surgical setup on her ship as well as attachments that allowed the healers of my people to advise or operate medical machinery remotely. Get this Bri there and we will do what we can."

"I am in your debt." Anya said, bowing her head.

"No, Anya Solinus." The queen said gently. "It is _we_ who are in _your_ debt. You have given us a chance to become part of a peaceful galactic society. We would be stupid not to take part. Kai needs more time to recover, but when she has, we will send her back."

"Express mail?" Any asked slyly and the rachni actually laughed. The sound it made wasn't human laughter of course, but the bubbling amusement was clear.

"You are _bad_, Anya Solinus." The queen said with a chuckle. "I shudder to think what tunes my daughter's children will learn from you." Then she made a noise of sadness. "May the discordance of your heart be soothed by the love of those around you, Anya Solinus. Know that you have family among our hive, now and always." Anya pulled the queen's claw close and kissed it. The queen retracted the claw and looked at it. "You humans do the _dardest_ things..." The queen said, bemused. "And I thought _Illia_ was weird..." Anya was chuckling as the queen turned and went back through the tube. In seconds, the hatch closed behind the queen and with a rumble the tube disengaged.

"Well..." Anya said slowly, looking at the four rachni and Illia. "I guess I better go tell Raan'ita she has guests."

"I think the kids and I should stay here." Illia said slowly. Anya looked at her and Illia grinned. "You _do_ know what Raan'ita is going to do to you for you being out of the chair, right?"

"I didn't stand or walk." Anya protested mildly.

"You think she is going to care?" Illia asked, her smile wide. "Matter of fact..." Anya's eyes were drawn to the side where a personnel hatch opened. A turian and quarian stood there. Crado's eyes were alight with speculation. Raan'ita's face was a mask, but she was tapping her foot. A bad sign.

"Crado?" Anya said slowly as she moved the chair towards the hatch, the four rachni and Illia following. "You were watching." It wasn't a question. "These are C-Flat Sepia, C-Flat Magenta, C-Flat Amethyst and C-Flat Citrine. They will be staying with us."

"You can understand them now." Crado said with a nod. "And the queen has told them to stay with you?"

"Yeah." Anya said slowly. "They will need temporary quarters, Raan'ita. But they will come with me to the station." Raan'ita nodded and jerked her head at Crado. Anya looked at the four rachni and nodded to them. "This is Crado Solinus, my mate." Crado nodded to the rachni. "And this is Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight, the captain of this ship." Raan'ita nodded silently.

C-Flat Sepia spoke. "Is she going to hurt you, Anya Solinus?"

"No, she is not going to hurt me, C-Flat Sepia." Anya said loud enough that everyone could hear. "But she is not happy with me. And she has the right to be unhappy with me. Go on, get settled, I will be by later to introduce you to everyone else." Anya said with a smile as the Crado turned and Illia ushered the rachni before her out the hatch. "Before you say anything, Raan'ita, I am sorry I was such a stupid ditz."

"You were and are grieving, Anya. I shouldn't expect even your normal limited amount of common sense." Raan'ita said quietly. "But I _really_ thought she was about to eat you there for a second."

"So did I. Good thing rachni are vegetarians." Anya said with a grin. The two friend stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"They _are_?" Raan'ita asked slowly.

"Well, technically, they are omnivores. C always preferred vegetables though." Anya said with a smile that faded as she moved the chair up to beside Raan'ita. "I miss her, Raan'ita." Anya said slowly, tears welling. "I miss her so much."

"Wherever she is, if rachni have a heaven..." Raan'ita said quietly. "She is watching you and muttering about your limited common sense."

"Yeah." Anya said, scrubbing her face. "Yeah, she probably is. I had kind of hoped that Obligatha had caught her the way it caught Lipa, but it didn't."

"It had no access to the station feeds. Everything was messed up." Raan'ita said sadly. "By the time it realized what had happened, it was too late to help. It does blame itself."

"The rachni are going to try and help Bri." Anya said with a nod. "But we need to move her into C-Flat Viridian's ship on station. Can we do that safely?" Raan'ita looked worried but nodded. "Good. Ok, doc? Back to the torture chamber?"

"Scans first." Raan'ita said in a no nonsense tone. "Does your leg hurt?"

"Not now." Anya said slowly, rubbing the cast. Then she paused. "It doesn't even itch. You don't _think_...?" She said, incredulous.

"You are _not_ moving out of that chair until I know for sure it won't hurt you, Anya." Raan'ita said in warning. "I can and _will_ sedate you." She ran her omni-tool over the immobilized leg and nodded. "The queen did something, but I am not sure what. Until I am sure..." She smiled as Anya groaned.

"Yes, mother." Anya snapped, but her tone was comical rather than angry as the two good friends left the hangar bay.


	79. Chapter 79

"Bri."

Anya could tell the Collector was awake, but it hurt to see the formerly vibrant young being so still. The bandages and splints didn't help. Neither did the multitude of tubes and wires that were attached to Bri's body. She smiled as she saw the collector's eyes flutter.

"I know you can't talk with the tube in. But we may have found a way to help you." Anya said softly. She saw Bri's eyes focus on her slowly. Far, far too slowly. The collector wasn't drugged, they still had NO idea what much of her body was doing. Anya did know that the fragile membranes that made up the collector's wings had been savaged by the pounding the young female had taken. Raan'ita didn't think Bri would even be able to fly again. Anya understood. From the injuries that she could see, and the readouts she could barely understand, Bri was lucky to be alive. "We need to transfer you somewhere. It will likely hurt."

Bri made a small nodding gesture and Anya put her hand In the hurt Collector's hand. It clenched on Anya's and Anya smiled again.

"I am sorry I was so slow getting us out of the base, Bri." Anya said sadly. "I am sorry. If we had left earlier..." She paused as Bri's hand rose slowly, reached her face and touched her lips. Bri shook her head slightly, although her eyes clouded a bit. From pain or effort? Anya couldn't tell. Anya looked to where Raan'ita stood silent and sighed. "All right, I won't gripe. Much. Easy, Bri. This is going to suck."

She stood back away from the bad as Raan'ita came close to remove the ventilator tube. From what Raan'ita and Lipa had said, Bri didn't really need it much, it was essentially a precaution. She took hold of Bri's hand and held it as Raan'ita worked in silence. Bri clenched her hand on Anya's spasmodically and then released it.

"Doc?" Anya asked softly, worried. But she did not release Bri's hand.

"Tube is out." Raan'ita said softly. "I know that hurt, I am sorry." The quarian apologized.

"My anatomy..." Bri croaked. "...is different. Always has been. Hard to treat self." Anya stiffened, How the hell had she forgotten? "Anya?" Bri asked, concerned.

"I forgot!" Anya said, castigating herself. "Raan'ita, _Bri_ is a medical person. A doctor and surgeon. She put the implants in Portia! She probably knows why the drugs are not working." Raan'ita stared at Anya and then at the bedridden Collector.

"Is that right, Bri?" Raan'ita asked slowly.

"I have... implants...Put in when Leviathan first took..." Bri gasped out. "They filter my blood. Meant to keep thralls from...suicide. By poison." She shuddered a bit in effort and Anya held her hand. "Attached to... main... fluid lines... above and below main pump..." She shuddered, the effort to speak was costing her. Anya turned a scared look at Raan'ita who nodded.

"Be easy, Bri." Raan'ita said calmly. "That makes sense. Is there anything we _can_ use to make you sleep for a time?"

"Drugs...don't..." Bri broke off, gasping. Anya held on as Bri grasped her hand hard enough to hurt. "Used...EM." She said, then collapsed, her meager stores of energy exhausted.

"EM?" Anya said slowly, then her eyes went wide. "EM pulses?" She demanded. Bri looked at her and nodded a little. Anya relaxed and smiled. "Granli can put her to sleep!"

"Anya..." Raan'ita said in warning.

"Raan'ita." Anya said slowly. "Granli can modulate EM pulses to sedate gently. I know Jennifer told you about that. I know Jennifer was talking about duplicating them."

"I read the report and it showed some promise. And I _have_ seen what she can do. But... I also know that Granli is a marauder." Raan'ita said flatly. "And if I bring her onto my ship, the turians on my crew will go completely bananas." Anya glared at the quarian but both froze as Bri spoke, incredulous.

"A...marauder?" The Collector asked softly, her tone bemused.

"Yes, Bri." Anya said gently. "Granli was captured by the Reapers during the fighting on Palaven. She was badly hurt and changed into a marauder, but it didn't quite work. She remained slightly aware of herself."

"Why...?" Bri gasped, pain was starting to creep in from the part of her body she could feel. "Here...?"

"You saw Crado? My mate?" Anya said softly. Bri nodded, unsure and Anya sighed. "She was his mate, before she was taken and changed. We both thought she was dead, but she wasn't and she has joined our family. She remembers who she was now, mostly. They used her to soothe people as they changed. She can generate EM pulses and modulate them." Bri's eyes widened, but then narrowed.

"Then... Yes..." Bri said softly. "Reapers used EM pulses to soothe, to sedate. But if cause problems..." She looked at Raan'ita who shook her head. "No want...cause..." She shuddered and went limp.

"_Bri!_" Anya said sharply, but did not move as Raan'ita started scanning. "Raan'ita?" Anya asked, scared.

"She is still hanging in." Raan'ita said softly, her hands flying as she started pulling wires and tubes loose. "I will leave the IV in, that shouldn't cause any problems and she needs the fluids. The rest I can remove. But if this doesn't work..." She trailed off as Anya made a noise of sorrow. "It's not your fault, Anya."

"I know." Anya said calmly. "What can I do?"

"Stay with her." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Your presence will comfort her. You were always good at that."

"Yeah." Anya said sadly, gently stroking the three fingered hand that she still held. She frowned. It didn't feel right. Was Bri's hand bruised? "So often, it was all I could do. Hold people while they died." She bowed her head but then raised it. "We won't let Bri die if we can help it."

"Anya." Raan'ita said gently. "You may not be able to save her. I saw the reports of what the rachni did to you, but..." She grimaced and went back to her work.

"You don't believe it." Anya said, her tone neutral. "Heck, I didn't believe it. I was hit a bunch of times. My armor was penetrated three times, Raan'ita. Arm, gut and upper chest. Chest would have killed me. It was a sucking chest wound and I had nothing to tend it with, I was out of medi-gel." Raan'ita tensed at that but finished her work and motioned to a pair of orderlies who stood with a ready gurney nearby. They came close and started easing the still form onto a backboard to move her. Raan'ita looked at Anya and Anya sighed. "I think they saved bits of my armor. I bet I can ask for those. Show you the holes. I was dying. I knew I was."

"Anya..." Raan'ita said softly, reaching for her friend, but Anya didn't seem to hear her.

"I drifted off, listening to the rachni song, but not understanding it." Anya felt her eyes burn, she wasn't seeing Raan'ita. "I didn't expect to wake up. But I did and C was there. She was so worried about me, so kind and gentle..." She shook herself. "I can't fall apart!" She hissed softly. "Not here. Not now..." She snarled quietly at herself. She shook herself hard and then nodded to Raan'ita. "I understand. I'll call Granli, have her waiting at the lock. She eased me, she can ease Bri too." She activated her onmi-tool and sent a quick message to Granli.

"If she can, that would be good." Raan'ita turned to the orderlies and they had Bri situated. The quarian nodded. "Slow and easy. Let's _not_ bump her into any walls." One of the orderlies held up an oxygen mask and Raan'ita thought for a moment. "No. Keep it ready, but she doesn't need it at the moment. Her breathing is fine. It's the rest of her that is a mess." The orderlies started the gurney off and Anya followed with Raan'ita beside her.

"Raan'ita..." Anya said slowly. "Bri's wings?" Raan'ita paused, but then spoke.

"I don't know, Anya. I looked at all our information on wings, including the Raloi... Nothing. I think she was trying to stabilize herself while the shuttle was tumbling." Raan'ita said softly. "It was likely instinctive, like us trying to retain our balance when we slip. The troops holding her tried, but couldn't keep her still. She hit something and tore off half of her left wing assembly. They bandaged it, but the damage was done. The other... I dunno... They were busy trying to help her, they didn't see what happened. My bet is she fell into one of them and hit hard enough that her right wing was damaged. The bones were broken, that we could and did set and splint. Superficially, it looks fine, but scans show it is not healing at all." Raan'ita said sadly. "We did what we could. The medic was good, but wings like that are _not_ something that combat medics are trained to handle. Especially Cerberus ones."

"We are going to have to remove them, aren't we?" Anya asked sadly. "I mean..."

"The nerves in her right wing have died, Anya. It's dead flesh." Raan'ita said heavily. "The left is only half there. We won't do anything without her permission, but we likely will have to do something. Unless your friends can do miracles, she is looking at never flying again."

"She won't be alone. As soon as she wakes, I am offering her a place in the clan." Anya said softly. "She has more than earned it."

"Do the others feel the same way?" Raan'ita asked, her tone careful. Anya smiled and nodded and Raan'ita relaxed. "Okay. Sorry. I just... Well.. You _did_ always seem to jump into things."

"I did." Anya replied evenly. "But I have grown up some. I think- Oof!" She recoiled as a small mass catapulted into her, grabbing her and hugging her tight. Portia was crying. "Hey! Portia..." Anya said quietly. "What is wrong?" She looked the girl over, but aside from the shaved head that now showed the fuzz of growing hair, Portia looked okay. "What is wrong?" She repeated. Raan'ita looked at them and moved to keep pace with the gurney.

"Is Bri going to die?" Portia asked, burying her head in Anya's chest. "She was so nice."

"Is." Anya said quietly, but firmly. "She _is_ nice. As for her dying... I don't know, Portia." Anya said, picking the girl up and carrying her as she walked. "She looks bad, I know."

"She looks so small and alone." Portia said, tears starting to fall. "She saved me, we _have_ to help her."

"We are trying, Portia." Anya said, stroking the girl's arm as she walked, careful where she held. Portia had been bumped around quite a bit. Both before the escape and during it. The death screams of the Leviathans hadn't helped things. "But you need to be brave. I know you can be." She gave her sister/daughter a squeeze. "I am scared for her too. Drugs don't work right on Bri so Granli is meeting us at the hatch. She can help Bri sleep like she helped you and me. The rachni are going to try to help. Raan'ita couldn't."

"I...see..." Portia said slowly, scrubbing her face with her sleeve.

"Portia, I need you to be on your guard." Anya said softly. "There are a _lot_ of people, humans and others, with grudges against Collectors. People on my team hated them for what happened to me. Bri will have enemies among the people who come here. You met her, will she be able to defend herself?"

"No." Portia said, horrified. "Especially if her wings are hurt." Anya nodded. Then Portia stiffened. "Wait... Your leg..." She reached down to touch Anya's leg and Anya smiled. "How?"

"That is why I think the rachni can help Bri. The rachni queen healed me." Anya said with a nod. "Raan'ita can't figure out how, but she thinks the queen stimulated a week's worth of healing into a touch. I was ravenous when Raan'ita finished the scans and I am still hungry. Any idea why? She teased.

"You are hungry because you used a lot of energy without knowing." Portia's words were half statement, half question and Anya nodded. "So you need to eat. So do I."

"Right _now_, we need to stay with Bri." Anya said, hurrying her steps until she caught up with the gurney. Raan'ita looked at her, but remained silent. The hatch ahead of them opened and a small group of people stood in the antechamber just beyond.

Anya's eyes were immediately pulled to Crado who stood at the controls. He had opened the hatch. But... he wasn't smiling. Melissa and Jennifer stood with Granli near the hatch and Chris stood just behind them. The former Cerberus soldier was armed and armored for a fight. Anya's eyes flicked around. All the others were armed. What the hell? Anya nodded to her mates and then spoke to Raan'ita.

"We can take it from here, doc." Anya said slowly, unsure of exactly _what_ was happening. "Crado? What's with the firepower?"

"When we got her to the Merciful Flight..." Crado said softly. "Bri's wings were hurt, but intact. We just saw the latest medical report. What did you do to her, doctor?" The turian asked coldly.

"Crado?" Anya asked, confused. "She says it fooled..." She broke off as Granli stepped forward, placed her hands on Bri's skull and the Collectors sighed and fell deeper asleep. "What is going on?"

"You tell us, Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight." Crado said coldly. "What _is_ going on?"

"I... I don't know..." Raan'ita stammered, but her words rang false to Anya. From the look Portia gave the quarian, she heard the lie too.

"Don't lie to me, Raan'ita." Anya said softly. "Please." She begged. "What is going on? What did you do?"

"I didn't..." Raan'ita broke off as Anya turned away from her, the look of hurt betrayal on the human's face stunning the quarian. "Anya... I..." She reached out for her friend, but Anya jerked away.

"Crado." Anya said calmly. Her voice was soft, but... wrong. As if rage lay bare millimeters from the surface. "If she touches me, as angry as I am, I will likely break bones." Raan'ita stiffened as Anya spoke as if the quarian wasn't there. She retracted her hand.

"Get away from her, doc." Crado said calmly. "She would hate killing you."

"Anya... please..." Raan'ita said softly. "I can explain." She _did_ step away slowly.

"Please do." Jennifer said softly from where she was examining the slumbering Collector. "Please explain why someone who came to you for medical treatment left in worse shape than she arrived. Her spine was severed, yes. Her wings were damaged but intact! Now they are not. And these..." Jennifer was shaking her head. "These bones were not broken when the shuttle landed. I _got _ the combat medic's report. Someone beat her! What did you _do_ to her?" Jennifer snapped.

"I don't know what happened." Raan'ita said, shaking her head. "Lipa reported it to me this morning! I didn't believe it! I have been following up, trying to figure out when, who was on shift. This has _never_ happened before."

"And it won't happen again." Anya said in that same, dreadful soft voice. "Crado, her kids?"

"Packing." Crado said in a matching voice. "They will be here shortly. Kang is escorting them." Raan'ita was shaking her head in horror, but Anya ignored the quarian.

"Good." Anya said with a nod. "Granli, Jennifer?" Granli looked at Anya, nodded and then back at Bri.

"Bri is stable." Jennifer said flatly. Then again, she was likely feeling even more betrayed than Anya. _She_ was a doctor as well. "But we need to get her to the rachni soon."

"Don't take the gurney." Anya said flatly. "Get one of ours. And check the IV." Jennifer's eyes went wide, but then she nodded, scanning the bag that hung above the gurney. Everyone pointedly ignored the strangled cry of protest from Raan'ita.

"Anya! I wouldn't _do_ that to her! I checked it myself!" Raan'ita snapped. "She needs the fluids! She is..." The quarian broke off as Anya swiveled her head to look at her. The expression on Anya's face was cold and remote. Portia, at Anya's side, looked devastated. Raan'ita tried again. "Anya... You know me..." Anya did not respond, but a minute tightening of her shoulders spoke volumes. "Anya, no..."

"Granli? Crado?" Anya asked the two turians. The Reaperized one and the normal one both nodded with almost identical sick looks. Anya sighed. "Right." She bowed her head and when she spoke it was cold and formal. "Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight and her crew are no longer welcome on this station." Raan'ita gasped, but Anya wasn't done. "Lipa and her team want to stay where they are?" Crado nodded silently and Anya sighed. "Then they share the restriction. I don't _think_ any of my kids could have done this, but I don't know. I can do what I need to do with Nira over a com, I guess."

A motorized gurney came into the chamber, apparently piloted remotely. Melissa, Granli and Jennifer busied themselves working on transferring Bri to the new one. Anya and Portia moved to Crado's side leaving Raan'ita and her orderlies standing shell shocked in the hatch. As soon as the Collector was transferred, the three left with it, leaving Portia and Crado to stare at Raan'ita. Anya looked at the wall, her face oddly serene.

"Anya, it wasn't me!" Raan'ita said quickly, begging. The orderlies stared at her and she motioned them back to the ship with a savage gesture. "I will find out who did this, you have my word!"

Everything stopped as a scared young voice sounded. "Mom?" A pair of young quarians, both wearing envirosuits without visors, walked into the chamber. They both hefted small suitcases. The elder looked around, his face scared. "What is going on?"

"Cado'Nya, Bralo... Your mother has violated my trust." Anya said quietly. _Both_ children froze in place. "_Someone_ on her ship hurt someone who helped me, hurt her very badly. She might be crippled for life. Your mother lied to me about it."

"Anya, I didn't..." Raan'ita protested, but broke off as her kids looked at her, betrayal on _their_ faces. "I am investigating! You know I can't talk about that!" Anya ignored her, focusing on the kids.

"Do you want to stay here?" Anya asked slowly. "Your mother and her crew will not be welcome here. Even if she was not involved..." Raan'ita made a soft noise of dismay, but Anya continued relentlessly. "She lied to me. If she had told me, I would have kept silence. She knows this. I love your mother, Cado'Nya, Bralo. I would forgive her almost anything. But this... I cannot trust her now." Anya said, feeling her eyes start to burn.

"_Keelah!_ I..." Cado'Nya, the elder of the twins by five minutes, nodded soberly. His eyes were far too old to be on a ten year old. Quarians even now did not lead sheltered lives. "I understand."

"This is hard, Cado'Nya." Anya said sadly. "You were uprooted and pulled here and now you are being uprooted again. You can stay if you wish. But your mother and her crew will not be able to visit. I can't trust them now, _any_ of them. I won't stop you from visiting them if you stay." Anya said gently as the young quarian mulled that over.

"I think... we should go." Cado'nya said sadly. "I like it here. People are nice and willing to talk. No one has called us names or anything. But... I think we should go."

"No one would dare discriminate here." Anya said gently. "Not around me." She took a deep breath and nodded to the boys. "I will miss you. I hope to see you again." She knelt and held out her arms. The boys swarmed into them, hugging her tight, then releasing.

"Keelah Selai, Anya Solinus." Cado'Nya said formally as he and his brother moved to pick up their suitcases.

"Keelah Selai." Anya said sadly as she, Portia and Crado moved back to the hatch leading into the station. Raan'ita stood in the middle of the hatch to the Merciful Flight, a quarian statue. The only motion on her were the tears than ran down her face. Then her hand came up as if in supplication. Anya slapped the hatch closed, crumpled into Crado's arms and cried.


	80. Chapter 80

**Two days later**

"Anya? You have a vid call." The soft but firm voice pulled Anya out of her paperwork. She shook herself vigorously, she had been sitting for too long.

"Mika?" Anya asked, curious. "From who?"

"Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy is on the line." Mika said quietly. Anya froze and then stood up slowly. "I can pipe it through to your office."

"Ah... Okay..." Anya said with a shudder as she looked at her desk.

It was still covered in boxes. The room had been converted to storage and Anya had only been assigned the office a few hours ago. At least the staff had cleaned it enough that she had a place to sit. But one did not talk to an admiral sitting -even a non-human one- unless one was physically incapable of standing. She shifted a few boxes to make them a bit less obvious and stood in front of her desk. The staff had tried to give her a grand huge airy room with an actual window. She had to admit, the view WAS spectacular. But it had made her very nervous, being in such a huge room with no cover. She knew that was silly, but she had asked for a smaller office. They had given her a list and she had chosen this one. They had asked her to wait, but she had wanted to get to work. She had dim recollections of some people coming in and removing boxes while she worked. She had to stay busy. She had to. If she started thinking, she started moping and Bri needed her.

Bri was improving. The four rachni took turns staying with the hurt Collector. They were cautiously optimistic for every part of her except her wings. Those were a loss. The rachni had been forced to amputate them. Anya had broken the news to Bri herself and held Bri's hand while the Collector cried. The pain that Bri felt was mirrored in Anya herself. So much had happened, and... She shook herself and straightened her fatigues.

"Ready." Anya said and the wall screen lit up. The office had been set up with state of the art com gear, so the staff hadn't had to do anything but reconnect things. The screen activated and one of the most recognizable quarians in the galaxy appeared on it. "Admiral Tali'Zorah." Anya said with a nod. "This is a surprise."

"Captain Solinus." The female quarian said formally. Her faceplate was on, but Anya could swear Tali was embarrassed. "The quarian fleet has received a troubling message." Anya did not react and the quarian sighed. "Raan'ita Vas Merciful Flight has relinquished her command." Again, Anya did not react and the admiral sighed deeper. "Captain... Please..."

"Admiral." Anya said formally. "I do not have control over the actions of any ships of the quarian fleet."

"The Merciful Flight is not a ship of the quarian fleet, Captain." The admiral said with a touch of heat. "As you well know." Anya nodded and the admiral continued. "Two hours ago, we received a report from Captain Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight that Joruz vas Merciful Flight hurt the Collector known as Bri while she was aboard for treatment. He is in custody pending a full investigation."

"Joruz..." Anya said slowly. Then she nodded. "He had access. He had a motive?"

"Yes. Revenge. The Collectors targeted human colonies." The admiral said sadly. "But others got in their way on occasion. They were usually killed, not taken. After the attack on Freedom's Progress, the fleet took steps to find and protect those on Pilgrimage. The small scoutship Oesia was enroute to check on a pilgrim who had gone to visit a human colony on a small world called Asteria. The ship was lost with all hands but they got a call out and an Alliance fleet responded. Not in time to save the ship or her crew. When the Alliance went to the colony, fearing the worst, it was unharmed. The Collectors did not take the colony. We think they were distracted by the Oesia or Shepard's actions at the time. The sacrifice of the ship's crew may or may not have made a difference, but the humans on the planet did build a memorial. Jolun vas Orenli is on the list."

"Wait... Jolun...? Joruz called himself that occasionally. Kin?" Anya asked softly. Tali'Zorah nodded.

"His brother." The admiral agreed. "They were twins and apparently used each other's names fairly regularly."

"I see." Anya said slowly. Revenge for a dead brother, how very...human of the quarian. "So... Why contact me?"

"I wasn't going to." Tali replied softly. "Raan'ita asked me to keep it quiet. She relieved Joruz and locked him up pending trial. She contacted me to tell me that, I agreed it should be kept quiet. The Merciful Flight has done a great deal of good." The admiral took a deep breath and spoke heavily. "An hour after that, I received another call. From a young Prothean named Lipa."

"Lipa?" Anya asked slowly. "I know her. Well... I..." She swallowed.

"She explained." Admiral Tali'Zorah said with a nod. "This will not be easy for you to hear Captain, but you must."

"What has Raan'ita done?" Anya asked sourly. "She always was a bit of a..." She broke off as the admiral actually snarled at her.

"She shot herself." The admiral said coldly. Anya felt the breath leave her body in a solid whoosh as the admiral continued. "Apparently, Lipa was just entering her quarters when Captain Raan'ita placed the barrel of her gun to her head and squeezed the trigger."

"No!" Anya breathed, horrified. "Raan'ita wouldn't..."

"Lipa managed to deflect the weapon so that the projectile only grazed Raan'ita's brain matter." The admiral said softly. "I didn't ask how and I am not going to. I _understand_ your feelings, captain. I understand about being betrayed. But she did not do it." The admiral said sharply. "She did _not_ betray you. She feels that she has. She left a note for you."

"What is her status?" Anya asked, throat tight. Joruz wouldn't have wanted Raan'ita involved. He would have done it all on his own. But Raan'ita would blame herself. Oh yes, Anya understood about that.

"Critical." Tali replied sadly. "I..." The quarian admiral seemed to wilt a bit. "I don't think she will make it home."

"Yes, she will." Anya said with a snap. "Where?" She hit her omni-tool, starting to type fast, setting plans and sending messages.

"They are still in the Omega Nebula." Tali said quietly. "Now they are heading for the mass relay. That ship is not fast by our standards. Captain..." She paused and spoke again when Anya nodded soberly. "What will you do?"

"Admiral." Anya said slowly. "I have lost too many friends to stupid things. I _refuse_ to lose another. Why was she still here in this system?"

"She wanted to find out what happened." Tali said quietly. "She thought she owed you that much at the very least." Anya's omni-tool chimed for her attention and she smiled.

"We will be underway in twenty minutes, admiral." Anya said with a nod. "Did the Alliance collect the prisoners yet?"

"No." Tali said slowly, her tone puzzled. "I thought they were remaining there until..." She broke off as Anya's expression registered. "Keelah..." She swore softly. Anya nodded soberly.

"We have two problems, Admiral." Anya said slowly. "One, Raan'ita. And two... Someone seems to have tampered with our coms." She grimaced. "Kind of like Cerberus was fond of during the war. We were told the Alliance was sending a ship to the Merciful Flight for them."

"My ships are already enroute." Tali responded soberly. "Captain... if someone planned to board the Merciful Flight..."

"They likely won't want to leave witnesses. The Council will hunt them down. All of them." Anya replied uneasily. "They have to be ready for such a response. The Council would _not_ ignore the blatant attack on a medical ship. We are fairly unofficial. I think we could use could use some 'official' backup."

"You have it, Captain Solinus." Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy said softly. "Good luck, Captain."

"I don't need luck, Admiral." Anya said with a feral smile. "I have friends in odd places. I will get back to you as soon as Obligatha is underway." The quarian froze.

"You are using a _Reaper_ as a transport?" Tali asked, incredulous. Anya shrugged.

"No other ships large enough to hold a boarding party are readily available and it volunteered. It likes Raan'ita." Anya said calmly. "Begging your pardon, Admiral..." Anya said softly.

"You need to get ready." Tali said with a nod. "My task force is on approach to the mass relay now. Our ETA is two hours. But..." She shrugged a little.

"We don't know what we are flying into." Anya said with a nod. "I'll get you some intel." She laughed a little sourly. "I guess some things never change." That had been her team's primary job during the war, recon and intelligence gathering. With the occasional 'blow stuff up and run the hell away' mission added in to spice things up.

"No, I guess they don't." The admiral said with a matching laugh, then cut the connection. Anya was out the door and running towards the hangar bay before the screen finished cycling down. As she ran, she briefed her team. She was pleased. Even ten years out of practice, with many of them going civilian, none of them hesitated, none of them questioned. Not so her family.

"Anya?" Jennifer's voice was worried as Anya ran into her room. Crado was already suiting up in armor. "What's going on?"

"I am not sure." Anya called back as she stripped her fatigues off quickly. "But Raan'ita is in trouble. As angry as I am with her, I am _not_ going to leave her hanging."

"No." Jennifer came to the door and nodded. "No, you couldn't. What do you need me to do?" She asked softly as Anya shrugged into her armor.

"Melissa is working on the facilities with Chris and Granli is with Bri, right?" Anya asked, sealing the arm plates with the skill of long practice. They did not want to leave the Collector alone, her mental state was fragile at best and Illia -while good company- had some issues with the Collector. Nothing against Illia, but the asari was _very_ tempted by the unknown. Bri was still too hurt for any kind of experimentation, no matter how fun the asari would make it.

"Yeah." Jennifer said quickly. "I was going to work on making sure lunch was edible this time." She made a face.

"Don't let Granli near the cooking surfaces then." Crado said with a grin as he finished sealing his own armor and picked up his customized Phaeston rifle. He has started earlier, but Anya was fast and motivated. He recoiled as Anya snapped her hood at him, the plasticized fabric cracking like a whip. "Hey!"

"Don't insult my sister/wife." Anya said mildly as she pulled the hood on and then up. "She is trying."

"You can say that again." Crado said with a shiver. "She is the only female I have ever met, of any race, who can literally burn water. I know because I have seen her do it." He paused as Anya's hands started glowing. "Its the _truth_!" He protested.

"If you cannot say something nice, Crado..." Jennifer said sweetly as Anya glared at her husband. "Don't say anything at all."

"I..." Crado looked at the two females and shook his head, wisely giving up. "Whatever. Mission?"

"Recon." Anya said quietly as she pulled the Predator pistol she normally carried out of her holster and replaced it with her Eagle. "Then possible hostage extraction."

The Predator was lighter, and somewhat a more versatile weapon. The Eagle did more damage, faster. It was heavier, but she didn't mind. She preferred firepower, but carrying it openly tended to worry people. Her team didn't care, but they had inspections through fairly regularly. Health inspections, safety inspections, security inspections... The list went on and on. Some of them were former soldiers themselves and had taken the fact that most of the teachers at the facility were armed to the teeth. Others... had not.

Anya didn't really mind. She knew that there were all kinds of people in the galaxy. But having someone who had never heard a shot fired -at them or anywhere near them- call her a mindless murderer had stung. That particular inspector had been tossed out on his butt and a stern letter of protest had gone to the agency in question. The next inspector from that particular agency had been a retired Alliance sergeant who had smiled at her and said 'Took you long enough to throw that bum out.'

Truth be told, she welcomed the inspections. Even the creeps. The _last_ thing she wanted to do was endanger anyone. Especially kids.

"Anya." Jennifer said slowly. "Bri is out of the rachnis' clutches and mobile." Anya smiled at that, but then sobered. "She should be here any minute. Can you stay to greet her?"

"I should. Crado." Anya said flatly. "You will lead the recon team. You are sneakier than me." Crado nodded and started checking on his rifle.

"Anya..." Jennifer said sourly. "An elephant with a toothache is sneakier than you." Crado laughed at Anya's expression, but they shared a glance. It was the truth. Anya was fast and powerful. Sneaky came a distant third. Oh, she could sneak, but it wasn't her specialty.

"Jennifer." Anya said slowly. "We need a medic." Jennifer stiffened and Anya continued. "Interested?"

"Anya...I..." Jennifer stammered a bit. "I don't have any gear but the Cerberus junk. I would get in the way."

"We can keep you safe." Anya said mildly.

"You don't know what that means to me, Anya..." Jennifer said sadly. "That you would trust _me_. But... I can't." She shook herself and sighed. "I am not as fast as I was. I would slow you down."

"Jennifer..." Anya said, horrified. "You said you got banged up, but..."

"I was more than banged up, I was crippled. My legs are a mess. We were black, Anya." Jennifer said softly, her voice full of remembered pain. "Totally off the grid. No support. I was caught in a Ravager's blast. Chris and Vincent pulled me clear, kept me alive, but..." She shook her head. "The damage was done and it healed wrong. Eight surgeries and four years of rehab and I can get by without a chair or crutches. I can walk now, and run a little. But no more."

"Oh Jennifer..." Anya said, hugging her sister tight. "We will talk when I get back." Her tone held annoyance and worry in equal measure. "But that still leaves us with no dedicated medic."

"I'll go if you want me." Anya's eyes were pulled to the door where Bri stood. "I have...debts to pay."

"It wasn't Raan'ita, Bri." Anay said, looking the Collector over. She looked..good. Then again, the rachni wouldn't have let her up until she was healed. "She was not the one who hurt you."

"I didn't think it was." Bri replied evenly. "She was kind and gentle."

"It was her husband." Anya said sadly. "I don't know when but it had to be shortly after you arrived and before she did the full scans."

"_Joruz_?" Crado snapped. "What the hell...? Oh..." He blinked, looking at Bri.

"Yeah, he lost his brother in a Collector attack." Anya said sadly. "No one knew or thought to say. He will be punished, Bri."

"No, Anya." The Collector said quietly. "The cycle of violence must be broken. I will not press charges." Anya inhaled sharply and Bri rose to her full height. "I will not."

"Bri..." Anya griped but then sighed. "Okay, okay... We will... talk later. Now, Crado pick your team. I'll pick mine around myself and Bri." She nodded to Crado and he was gone. "Bri? You have weapons training. Right?" Anya asked, her tone going professional.

"Some." Bri admitted. "I used our weapons when I served Harbinger and Leviathan. I fought a few occasions, but they were very swift. I know which end the bullets come out of on most weapons." She said with a smile.

"I don't have any Collector weapons. They are -understandably- rare." Anya said slowly, looking her locker over. "Come see if there is anything you _do_ know."

Bri came close and a sound of awe came from her as she looked into Anya and Crado's weapon's locker. Anya had to admit, Crado liked his guns. The locker was huge, more a walk in closet than a locker and it was full of firearms of various pedigrees. In orderly rows were racked weapons from a standard issue Avenger rifle to a Typhoon light machine gun. And _everything_ in between. Bri exclaimed suddenly her hand hovering over a particular weapon.

"You have a Prothean Particle Rifle?" Bri asked, drawing her hand back as if she didn't dare touch.

"Javik made that for me. I... I don't like it. It's heavy." Anya said quietly. "If you are using biotics, it will slow you down."

"Good point." Bri said softly, turning to look at smaller weapons. But then she shook her head. She looked back at the particle rifle. "If everything goes right, I shouldn't be fighting at all. May I?"

"Go right ahead." Anya said softly. "But we are on short time."

"Right." Bri picked the rifle up, staggering a bit under it's weight. "Gah! You are right. It is heavy. But..." She shook her head. "I wouldn't have to worry about thermal clips or ricochets, would I? Basically point and click and try not to sweep the beam over friendlies?" Anya looked at her and Bri shrugged. "I couldn't sleep and Lipa was kind enough to talk to me. Somehow the conversation turned to weapons. We discussed Collector weapons and she told me about these."

"It _is_ a lot lighter than a normal one." Anya replied. "I can't even carry Javik's for any long period of time. Admittedly _his_ will punch a hole in a tank if he needs, while _that_ one will take a while to burn through a guardian's shield. Two things... First it has no safety." Bri looked at the weapon in her hands and winced. "I asked Javik to put one on, and he was going to, but he never got the chance. If you do carry that, know that if you _do_ pull the trigger, it is going to fire."

"Right." Bri said, subdued. "And the second thing?"

"It has a two stroke trigger." Anya warned the Collector. "Fire and release and the beam is short lived. Dangerous to unarmored foes, but not much else. If you hold down the trigger, it will charge the main capacitors and then start firing a heavier, harder hitting beam. And you _will_ run the power pack out in a few seconds of sustained fire that way. Then it has to cool down and recharge for a bit. But _for_ those few seconds, anything in your beam will fry." The Collector nodded, holding the rifle in a professional grip and examining it carefully.

"I like it." Bri said quietly. "It feels... right." She said softly.

"Well, you _were_ a Prothean once upon a time." Anya said with a grin. She shook her head. "You don't have armor do you?"

"Armor?" Bri asked snidely. Suddenly her entire form was encased in an eerie green light. "Who needs armor?"

"Don't get cocky, Bri." Anya said softly, her tone professional. "You can't fly now." Anya said through a throat that was suddenly too tight.

"I know." Bri said gently, slinging the rifle and stepping close. "I am a medic, Anya. I'll stay out of the way."

"Are you okay?" Anya asked slowly. "I mean... Physically, you are fine. They wouldn't have let you out otherwise. I was when they let me out of the goo bath. But..." Her eyes suddenly burned.

"I am not going to lie. It hurts, Anya." Bri said sadly. "No physical pain, but the mental? I keep feeling twinges in my wing muscles. But they are not there. This 'phantom pain' as Jennifer calls it sucks. I can handle it. It hurts a lot less than being mind raped by Leviathan did."

"Wilson-Fuentes is still on the Merciful Flight." Anya said slowly. "If a Leviathan survived Harbinger's assault, they will likely be able to possess him."

"And if they see me..." Bri stiffened.

"They may try to take control again." Anya said quietly.

"You know what to do if they do." Bri said flatly. Anya looked at her and Bri hissed. "_Promise_ me, Anya. I don't want to be a slave again."

"I can't promise that, Bri." Anya said soberly. "But... For now, let's focus on getting there and doing the mission. I have some ideas for a team. But we need to move." Bri nodded and the pair started off, only to pause as Jennifer came close and embraced them both.

"Come back to us, sisters." Jennifer said huskily. Bri froze and then looked at Anya who smiled.

"We were going to ask you at dinner if we could adopt you." Anya said softly. "I hope you don't mind."

"I..." Bri didn't seem to know what to say. "I would be honored." She bowed her head. "Matriarch."

"Don't start, Bri Solinus." Anya said with a snap that was comical rather than angry. "Come on, we have a long way to go and a short time to get there." She hugged Jennifer again. Bri did so as well, awkwardly. "We will keep you updated, Jennifer."

"You better." Jennifer said with a grin. "Go on, I'll keep the place intact while you are gone." Anya nodded and then she and Bri were walking quickly toward the shuttle bay.

"How many more?" Bri asked as they moved. The sparse crowds in the corridors making way for the two females.

"With Crado, five more. We have two shuttles so we will deploy in two fire teams of four." Anya said with a nod. "We try to balance things as best we can. Crado's team will be our scouts. I bet he will take Luci, Drolis and another sneaky nutcase named Saun. They are the stealthiest of the team who survived. Luci and Saun are human, Drolis is salarian and Crado as you know is turian."

"Right... Let me get human, salarian and turian medical files set up then. Allergies to any medication?" Bri asked, working her tool as she walked.

"None." Anya said sadly. "None of the people who had those survived... Ah... Niklos!" She nodded to a batarian who stood nearby. "Ready to kick some ass?" She called with a grin.

"Anytime, Captain!" The four eyed male said with a wide smile. He was carrying a odd looking sniper rifle and had an assault rifle and a pistol holstered. "I was told you needed fire support. Where we going?" He sounded downright eager.

"We do." Anya said soberly. "The Merciful Flight is in trouble." The batarian's eyes narrowed as he took in Bri and Anya nodded. "This is Bri, she is our medic this jaunt. Your job is to keep her intact."

"Right." The batarian said slowly, taking in the holstered particle rifle without comment. "Heard you were hurt." His voice was neutral.

"I was." Bri said with a nod. "But I am better and you will need medical support. I am what is available." The batarian looked at Anya with a wince and Anya nodded.

"Hopefully we won't have to fight anyone." Anya said with a sigh. "Crado is going in first to scout." The batarian scoffed and Anya nodded. "Yes, I know his idea of 'scouting' isn't like yours or mine, but if it _does_ go hot, we will need your fire support."

"Just me?" Niklos asked, unsure.

"Hardly." Anya said with a smile. "A-900-X is coming too." All four of the batarian's eyes bulged at that and then he grinned. It was an evil grin.

"A-900-X?" Bri asked carefully. "Do I want to know?"

"Don't worry, doc." The batarian said with a nod. "We will keep you safe. That Geth a tank. No one will notice you while _it_ is anywhere nearby. Not if it is carrying its usual loadout. Spitfires draw a lot of attention."

"A _Geth_?" Bri asked slowly. "Anya...?" She asked, concerned.

"It won't hurt you, Bri." Anya promised. "Come on, we have to get to the shuttle and then catch up to Obligatha."

"Right, boss." The batarian said, taking up position behind and to the side of Bri. Protecting her, she realized. She keyed her tool to add batarian information to her files. The batarian smiled at her. "You got your head on right it seems. Better than few medics we had." He said quietly. "Nervous?"

"I have been shot at before, but... yes." Bri admitted. The batarian nodded, his smile comradely now. Bri smiled. "A batarian, a human, and a geth walk into a bar..." Bri said as they walked quickly. "Ouch, that had to hurt!" She grinned at Anya's expression. The batarian stared at her and then laughed heartily.

"I _like_ this one, boss." Niklos said with a wide smile. "Can we keep her?"

"We will see." Anya said, but she was grinning too.


	81. Chapter 81

**Aboard a very odd transport vessel**

Enough was enough. Anya shook her head and sighed inaudibly. Time for her to be the stern commander. She walked over to where Bri was sitting, surrounded by the rest of the team who were chortling at the Collector's latest joke and spoke in a mild voice.

"Coming up on separation in ten minutes." Anya said to Crado in a voice loud enough to be heard. Everything stopped as the team looked at her and she nodded. "Obligatha reports nothing on sensor except the Merciful Flight, but they are not responding to it's hails."

"Not a good sign." A harsh voice sounded form nearby and Anya nodded to the other N7 who had come along.

She wasn't always sure where she stood with Luci Shinn. The woman was _not_ stable by anyone's definition of the word. But Luci was also an excellent teammate. In combat, her instability seemed to vanish and she was so sneaky she had literally had Cerberus phantoms _walk_ on her and never realize the N7 was there. Anya wasn't sure if Luci was here on her own, or if she had been ordered to 'stay close to Anya' by the Alliance brass. It didn't really matter. Luci had worked with Anya and Anya with Luci so many times it was instinctive. But... Anya jerked her head and Luci rose, patted Bri on the shoulder and followed Anya to the other side of the compartment that Obligatha had set up for their use just off the Reaper's main flight bay. It had enough comfortable couches for everyone who wanted to sit and a full communication suite if anyone needed it, which they didn't at the moment.

"I like her." Luci said softly. She already wore her helmet, despite the comfortable environs and Anya could relate. N7 training either made you very, very paranoid or it made you not an N7. Sometimes it made the applicants dead. "She is scared and handling it by making us laugh. She is handling it much better than some of the medics we had."

"That she is." Anya agreed with a shudder, thinking of some of the medics that had been saddled with during the war. A few of them had been so uptight it just hadn't been funny. One had actually had a heart attack during an extraction. Hadn't died but it had been a close run thing. Admittedly, it _was_ a stressful job, but _geez_. "How are you?" She asked bluntly.

"I am a mess, Anya." Luci said in her usual forthright manner. "Lisa said she talked to you." It wasn't a question and Anya waited. "I dunno, Anya. I always knew I was going to die in battle. I was ready for that. But..." She shook her head.

"You never did." Anya said with a nod. "You kept getting torn up, but never died."

"Yeah." Luci said sadly. "To serve and protect and all of that. Or at least to take as many of the bastards with me so I could have a fine gathering of thralls to serve me in Valhalla." Anya nodded. Luci's belief in the ancient Norse Pantheon of Earth had taken quite a bit of getting used to, but now, Anya took it in stride. She looked at her fellow soldier and her tone was curious. "How do you do it, Anya? How do you keep it all together so well? You are always in control."

"Not always." Anya said with a sigh. "But my upbringing made me a very introverted person. Until C-Flat Viridian and Crado... I..." She shook herself. "Even your wild drinking parties with Kang's hooch never managed to crack the shell." Luci barked a laugh at that, but then sobered.

"We tried." Luci said sadly. "But to answer your first question, I don't know how I am. I feel the same, but not. I can do the mission, and while I am _on_ the mission, I am fine."

"I know the feeling." Anya said with a sigh. She shook her head. "I need you aware. But keep this information tight." Luci looked at her and Anya nodded. "Raan'ita shot herself."

"What?" Luci's voice was horrified. "What did she do something that dumb for?" She muttered something about 'The Cold Lands' that Anya ignored.

"I don't know what maggot crawled into her brain." Anya admitted. "I _do_ know that her husband hurt Bri bad enough that the rachni had to amputate Bri's wings." Luci winced at that and looked to where Bri sat, checking her medical readouts. "He was avenging his brother."

"I see." Luci said softly. Then again, Asatru like her understood _all_ about revenge. She shook herself and became all business. "Orders?"

"Crado is likely to send you to check on Raan'ita." Anya said softly. "I didn't want it coming at you cold."

"Thanks." Luci said with a nod. She liked Raan'ita even if she _did_ give the healer the creeps. Anya thought that the other N7 deliberately enhanced her instability just to creep the healer out. It was the kind of thing Luci would do. "Anything else?"

"Don't get your head blown off, battle sister." Anya said with a comradely slap on Luci's shoulder. Most people trying to do that would wind up on the floor, in pain. But Luci and Anya shared a lot, had seen a lot.

"Right back at'cha, battle sister." Luci said with a slap that echoed through the room as it connected to Anya's shoulder armor. If it had hit flesh, it likely would have done damage which was why Luci had hit the armor.

"If you two are done _bonding_..." Crado said with a fake deep sigh. "We kind of have a mission?"

"Bite me, bird boy." Luci said with a grin in her voice. Bri looked worried but Anya shook her head minutely.

"Bird boy?" Crado asked, incredulous. "Is that the best you can do, crazy lady?" Bri looked horrified, but Luci just laughed. Then she looked at Bri and sighed.

"Bri, it's okay. This is just our pre battle silliness." The N7 said in a somewhat kind tone. "And... It's the truth. I _am_ crazy."

"No, you are not." Bri said calmly. "You face your fears." Anya stiffened, but Luci was staring at Bri. "You are strong and brave. But without fear, what would we know of courage?"

"I..." Luci shook her head. "Are you a shrink too?" She asked, a little sourly.

"No." Bri said sadly. "But I watched all of my kin, the last of the Collectors besides me, sink into despair and madness after Leviathan took us. I tried to help them, and I couldn't. They died, one by one despite everything I could do."

"Oh." Luci said softly. "That is...hard."

"Yes." Bri said quietly. "It is. They are free now."

"Better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Luci said with a nod.

"We were slaves, Luci Shinn." Bri said after a minute. "Leviathan controlled every aspect of our existences for some time. I will not be a slave again."

"No, I can see you won't." Luci said with a nod of respect to the healer. Then everything stopped as a huge mass of machinery nearby creaked to life. Anya jumped and nodded to the Geth.

"A-900-X?" She asked the Geth. "Anything to report?"

"The consensus about the Merciful Flight has been disabled. They are there, but dormant. In human terms, they are asleep." The Geth said, it sounded apprehensive. "I am unsure how this has happened. I have queried the rest of the Consensus and should have a response soon." Anya nodded soberly.

"Obligatha?" Anya asked the Reaper they were riding in. "Could a Reaper have done that?"

"It is possible." The Reaper replied in a worried tone. "But we do not scan any of our kind anywhere in the vicinity of the Merciful Flight. We would have to be very close. Unless the Geth let us in like they did at Rannoch, it would be very hard as well." The Geth slumped a bit and Obligatha's voice turned kind. "_You_ are not at fault. A-900-X."

"No." The Geth replied. It was odd. Sometimes it acted like an organic and sometimes it didn't. Did machines feel comfort in familiar things? "But this unit _does_ share responsibility. I voted with all the others to allow the 'Old Machines'..." It paused. "This one gives apology, Obligatha. You wished to be called 'Reapers'. I voted with all the others to allow the _Reapers_..." It corrected itself. "To enter and take control. Our actions led to many lives lost on both sides."

"And if you hadn't..." Anya snapped. "Your people would have been wiped out completely. I am not saying it was the right choice, but _none_ of us..." She waved at the people in the room. "Were there. None of us will second guess you. It _did_ turn out all right."

"Legion and Shepard made it right." A-900-X said with a hint of awe in it's voice. "Your forbearance is appreciated, Solinus Captain."

"No problem." Anya said with a nod. "Anything else to report?"

"There was an odd gas detected in the atmosphere. Not a normal element." The Geth replied. "This unit has not encountered the gas before and none of the Consensus so far queried have been able to identify it." Bri went still.

"Did you scan samples?" Bri asked, her mask of kindness falling into a mask of professionalism.

"Yes, Bri Healer." The Geth replied and raised it's omni-tool. Bri raised hers and the two chimed, signifying that data was transferring. "It is not in any Geth databases." It reported after a moment.

"Likely because gas doesn't work on Geth. Anything else while Bri is working on that?" Anya asked softly. "You transferred to one of the Search and Rescue platforms, but you should have been able to access the surveillance feeds."

"The cameras are offline." The Geth replied, sounding puzzled. "I could not move the platform without drawing attention. I did note two humans in armor." It activated it's omni-tool again and an image appeared over the glowing wristlet.

The two armored forms walked into the field of view and then out of it. A sharp sound of disbelief came from the side and all eyes turned to where a salarian stood against the wall. He wilted a bit.

"That is Talon armor." Drolis said softly. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. "The Talons are a street gang that became Omega's security forces after it was liberated from Cerberus."

"You think Aria had anything to do with this?" Anya asked dubiously. She _knew_ Aria T'Loak.

"No." Drolis said after a moment's thought. "She knows better. Thumb her nose at the Council in public or private? Sure. _Attack_ a Council Medical ship? Not hardly. JArral wouldn't stand for it, for one."

"Right." Anya said with a nod. "Obligatha, give Drolis a line to Omega. Make it straight to Afterlife." Drolis looked at her and Anya shrugged. "Better tell her now. If she finds out later and you _didn't_ keep her informed..." She made a face as Drolis gulped.

"Right..." Drolis said with a sick look on his face. He walked to where a screen lit up and started keying in codes at salarian speed.

"Bri?" Anya asked the Collector who had her face buried in her tool. "Anything?"

"I have never seen this gas before." Bri said absently, her fingers flying. Anya froze momentarily as an image of a molecule appeared over the Collector's tool and rotated, obviously the substance in question. "But it is a sedative of some kind. It appears to designed to affect multiple species." She looked at Anya and her face was bleak. "I don't think anyone on the ship would have stayed awake if they got as much as a whiff of this." She sighed. "That is likely why those men wore full helmets."

"Maybe." Anya said slowly. "We can't assume anything. Can you protect us from it?"

"Yes. It's an airborne agent and it has to be inhaled to work." Bri said slowly, her fingers still flying. "I have set your onboard dispensers to dispense a counter agent. But I recommend sealed armor anyway."

"Bri." Anya said slowly. "You don't have armor."

"I know." Bri said softly. "I will set my omni-tool to monitor my condition. It should help to keep me up. Do you have any filter masks that might fit me?"

"Obligatha?" Anya asked, concerned. She noted everyone else on the team whose faces she could see wore similar looks of worry.

"We are making a mask that will fit your physiology, Bri." Obligatha said calmly. "It should be ready in two minutes. It will protect from inhaled agents, but it will not be comfortable."

"My implants _should_ handle the gas." Bri said softly. "But better safe than sorry. The last thing I want is for you all to have to tend _me_." She said with a laugh.

"Bri." Anya said quietly. "Last chance to back out." Bri looked at her and Anya smiled a bit sadly. "Okay, game faces people. Time to get some more information and maybe kick some ass." A slot opened nearby and Anya picked up the mask that appeared in it. She tossed it to Crado and spoke sharply. "Crado, get it fitted to her. Luci..." The other N7 came close and the women moved away to speak.

"You recognized it too." Luci said in a very soft voice.

"Yeah. The STG knockout gas we tried to use on Elysium. Not that the brass would take _our_ word that Reaper minions were totally machine. They had to see if we could capture some, interrogate them. Bunch of flipping idiots. Same stuff they ordered us to use despite my protests." Anya said softly. "I bet Crado knows what it was, but he won't say."

"Why the hell would the STG attack the Merciful Flight?" Luci asked slowly. "Never mind, that is why we are going in. To find out."

"Yeah." Anya said with a sigh. "I _hope_ we are not playing right into their hands, bringing Bri to them." Luci looked at Anya and Anya shrugged. "One way to find out, battle sister. I need to make a call. If it _is_ STG... Don't let them take Bri." She said fiercely.

"Anya...?" For once, Luci seemed subdued. "Are you sure?"

"No." Anya said sadly. "But right now, I am not sure about _anything_. She begged me, Luci. She begged me not to let people make her a slave again. I couldn't promise her that. I am too close. You are not."

"If it comes to it, I will make it quick and clean." Luci promised. She looked to where Bri was still working. "I don't want to, but... She deserves better than to wind up in a lab, experimented on."

"Yeah." Anya said flatly. Luci stared at her friend.

"They did that to you, didn't they? Experimented on you?" Luci asked slowly. "When you were a kid?"

"I don't know all of what happened." Anya said sadly. "Despite everything that everyone has tried, a lot of my memory is still locked up tight. But..." She sighed. "Yes." To her amazement, Luci reached out, and pulled her close. "Luci?"

"You were always the best of us, Anya." Luci said with tears in her voice. "Even Shepard said you were better than her."

"That is a bald faced _Lie_." Anya said sharply. "Let go! You are ruining your macho woman image." She patted Luci's shoulder. "I need you focused, Luci. Now more than ever."

"I am." Luci said as she backed up a step and clasped her hands in front of her, her voice settling. "Make your call, sis. If it comes to it, I will handle it."

"Thank you, Luci." Anya said with feeling as she turned to where Drolis stood. She heard movement and knew that the team was getting itself organized. Even without seeing, she knew where they would be and what they would be doing. They had done this hundreds of times, in smaller quarters and larger. Under fire and not. She was _so_ proud of her people! Her heart swelled again.

"Com is free, Boss." Drolis' soft voice pulled her back from her reverie. "Aria is... annoyed. But she says no Talons are missing." Drolis paused. "Boss... Was that gas what I think it was?" He had been on Elysium.

"Probably." Anya said as she stepped up to the com. Drolis cursed under his breath, but nodded and went to join the team. "Obligatha, connect me to the Citadel as quickly as you can. I need to talk to the Council."

"Anya..." The Reaper was worried. "If it _is_ the Salarian Special Tasks Group..."

"We better find out if it is a legit operation." Anya said coldly. "Before we hit them. Because we _are_ going to leave bodies in our wake." The com chimed and she blinked, so quickly. The image of the Salarian councilor appeared and Anya nodded. "Councilor Valern. I wasn't expecting to get through so quickly."

"We have received a troubling report, Captain Solinus." The salarian said quickly. "From...an odd source."

"Odd?" Anya asked slowly.

"Yes." The councilor said with a shrug. "It came onto our private datafeeds. Datafeeds that only the Council and it's operatives are supposed to have access to. We are investigating." Anya's eyes went wide, but then narrowed. "It told us to and I quote 'Expect an urgent call from Captain Anya Solinus'." Anya felt her eyes bulge and she shook her head. No, it couldn't have been Shepard, she couldn't have done that! Could she? She focused on the salarian again as he spoke again. "What is the situation, Captain?"

"The Citadel Council Medical Ship Merciful Flight has been attacked and taken by unknown parties, Councilor." Anya stated formally. The salarian froze and Anya nodded. "The assailants _seem_ to have used a specialized Special Tasks Group knockout gas to subdue the ship. My team used it once during the war to attempt to capture Reaper minions. It didn't work on the Reaper minions we were sent to capture but we recognized it."

"Oh dear." The salarian actually put his face in his hand. "Oh dear."

"You see the problem." Anya said quietly. "If STG _did_ attack the Merciful Flight..." Valern nodded.

"I need to get the others in on this." He said quickly and started hitting keys. "We were worried the dalatrosses might try something, but _this_..." Anya stiffened as three other forms appeared on her screen, Councilors Tevos, Sparatus and Norifica stood formally. "Tell them what you just told me, Captain."

Anya quickly summarized her findings, focusing on the ship's lack of response to communication and the preliminary recon that had found the odd gas.

"It is _not_ a sanctioned operation. Could it be raiders from Omega?" Sparatus asked softly when she was done. "You say the ones you saw wore armor from there."

"Maybe some people hired there, but not anything official. Aria T'Loak knows better, Councilor." Anya said. Tevos nodded soberly. "She is a pain in the butt. She isn't stupid. Attacking a ship _specifically_ granted immunity by the Council? That is stupid. You will _have_ to react. The question is... how?"

"We will discuss this." Sara Norifica said slowly, the human Councilor obviously reeling. "What are _your_ intentions, Captain?"

"I am going to take the ship back, Ma'am." Anya said with a nod. "If we _can_, without killing anyone since they seem to have gone to great lengths not to kill when they took it."

"We would prefer not to resort to violence." The human councilor said with a scowl. "Shooting should be the last resort."

"I agree." Anya said quietly. "But they are not responding to any of our attempts at contact. I can't guarantee there will not be casualties if we go in. But if they reach the mass relay, they can go _anywhere_ with a bunch of non-combatant hostages." She said with a sigh. "Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy is bringing a task force of quarian ships and plans to blockade the relay, but that still leaves us with more questions than answers." She took a deep breath.

"They could just jump." Sparatus said doubtfully.

"They could." Anya agreed. "But I am betting, whoever they are, that they want to maintain the fiction that nothing is wrong as long as they can. We were sent a message to leave the prisoners that were taken during my rescue from the Leviathan aboard the Merciful Flight for the Alliance to collect. Admiral Tali'Zorah said that _They_ were given a message that _we_ would take them for a Council ship to pick up." All four councilors looked at each other and Anya nodded before continuing. "That sounds awfully familiar. Cerberus loved playing games with Alliance coms during the war."

"STG has also been known for that. Someone has hacked your systems." Valern said calmly. "This... Norilossa you have aboard your station?" Anya shook her head, not surprised he knew about that.

"She has been under full time surveillance, both artificial and organic." Anya said soberly. "She didn't do it. With your permission, I want to find out what is going on _before_ Admiral Tali'Zorah arrives to escalate the situation."

"Can you get aboard undetected, Captain?" Councilor Norifica asked, only to pause as all three other councilors snorted in unison.

"It was what she _did_ during the war, Councilor Norifica. She can." Tevos said with a smile. "The only reason she isn't there already is she wanted to ask permission. Isn't that right, Captain?"

"My friend is aboard and in trouble." Anya said with a sigh. "I would _prefer_ my team have some legal cover...But..." She shrugged. Tevos laughed a bit sourly and looked at her compatriots. They all nodded and Tevos spoke evenly.

"That wouldn't stop _you_ for a moment." Tevos said with a smile. "You have permission to board the Merciful Flight and find out what is going on, Captain Solinus. If you can take prisoners, please do so, but take the ship back. You are right, we cannot allow an attack on a ship we designated sacrosanct to be violated. You are covered. And Captain..." Anya met the Asari's eyes and Tevos smiled. "Good luck."

"With all due respect Councilor..." Anya said, her eyes going cold and hard. "I am not the one who needs luck."


	82. Chapter 82

It was weird. Combat was stressful, probably the single most stressful thing humans had found so far, Anya mused. But the waiting _before_ combat seemed to be worse in many ways. It didn't help that she was riding in a box with no view of where they were or where they were going. Kodiak shuttles had not gotten any more comfortable since the war. She wasn't sure _how_ Crado had managed to get hold of _two_ fully equipped UT-47A shuttles with fully operational stealth systems, and she wasn't going to ask. She was just happy to have them. Regular shuttles would have been a dead giveaway, the stealth shuttles could approach and get the team on board their target before the hijackers knew the team was there.

"Status?" She asked the Geth piloting the shuttle. A-900-X was a fully rated pilot of most types of small craft. Considering it _became_ the ship...

"Stealth systems are nominal, Solinus Captain." The Geth replied through the shuttle's onboard speakers. "The Merciful Flight is not broadcasting any signals. They have no active sensors online. With no active sensors, they will not detect us."

"They still haven't responded to Obligatha asking to talk to Lipa?" Anya asked, worried. "That has to be bothering them. Of course, they MAY think that Raan'ita in a snit would act that way, although we know better."

"Not that Raan'ita ever has snits." Niklos said with grin. Anya turned to look at him and he shrugged. "Hey, boss... We love the doc, but she _does_ have a temper."

"She is not the only one." Anya said quietly. "How long until the quarians are supposed to arrive?"

"Unless they have been delayed, about ten minutes." Bri said with a check of her chrono. "But... How _can_ they block a ship from jumping to FTL without shooting at it?"

"The Merciful Flight is not a fighter, Bri." Anay said calmly. "It isn't even as maneuverable as a regular cruiser. It never needed to be. It can move fairly fast for it's size, but close quarters maneuverability is what smaller ships are for. Put something smaller and more maneuverable in front of it, block it's path and it is going nowhere."

"Sounds dangerous." Bri commented, but shrugged and went back to her med readouts. "Even without guns, the Merciful Flight is NOT a small vessel."

"That is why we get paid the big bucks. The glamorous life of a soldier." Anya quipped and then nodded. "The other shuttle?"

"We cannot detect the other shuttle while it is running silent." The Geth replied. Then it made an odd sound. "The Merciful Flight's secondary ventral emergency hatch has been occluded. They are docking. On time, on target. Approaching now." A screen flared to life showing the cruiser in the distance.

"Anya?" Bri asked carefully.

"Yes?" Anya asked as the Merciful Flight grew on the viewscreen.

"What is to stop them from grabbing the hostages, jumping into shuttles and leaving the ship on some kind of destruct?" Bri asked. "We wouldn't be able to catch them and if we are aboard when it goes boom..." She broke off as Anya smiled.

"You have been watching too much 'Star Trek'." Anya said with a laugh. "A starship _can_ 'self destruct'." She admitted. "But its usually easier to overload the reactor, destroy the ship that way. Less pyrotechnics, but just as effective." Bri didn't look mollified and Anya nodded. "Which is why engineering will be the scouting team's first stop."

"_Any_ idea of what we are facing?" Bri asked, still worried.

"They must have brought shuttles." Anya said slowly. "The nebula would have given them some cover. But..." She shook her head. "Raan'ita wouldn't have been lax. She knew better."

"She was distracted." Niklos said in a neutral tone.

"Yeah." Anya said sadly. "She is not the only one with a temper. I knew she couldn't be at fault, but I was so mad..." She shook her head. "Well, I hope to apologize when this is all done. Let's do this!" She said as a loud 'thunk' sounded through the ship.

Niklos moved to the ventral hatch and checked it. In seconds, the Geth had returned to its usual platform and was moving slowly to the hatch as well. Anya forced herself to remain silent, micromanaging people who knew what they were doing rarely worked well. Bri started to say something, but Anya held up a hand and then put a finger to her lips. Bri nodded, all six of her eyes wide. Niklos had the shuttle hatch open and A-900-X reached out to make physical contact with the Merciful Flight's hatch. Anya nodded. It _could_ access most of the systems remotely, but physical contact made for a faster, more stable connection. It slowly unslung it's weapon.

"No hostiles detected in airlock proximity." The Geth said, it's voice pitched very low. "Sensors looped. Ready." Anya looked at Niklos who nodded, Bri did as well and Anya smiled under her Fury mask. It was _not_ a nice smile.

"Go." She said softly. The hatch opened as the Geth hit the overrides and Niklos was through it before it even full retracted.

"Clear." Niklos subvocal report came loud and clear to her helmet earphones and she nodded again. The Geth moved ponderously through the hatch, its massive six barreled weapon aimed at the next hatch.

"A-900-X?" Anya asked as she stepped through, motioning Bri to follow. "How long can the shuttle maintain the stealth systems?" At Bri's inquiring look, Anya shrugged. "Heat sinks have to radiate after a time. Big sensor image. No way even passive sensors will miss that at this range."

"The shuttle's systems are stable." The Geth replied after a moment. "We estimate fifteen to twenty minutes to needing the IES systems shutdown."

"One way or another, this will be done by then." Anya nodded. The Geth moved to the next hatch and Anya nodded. "Sealing airlock outer door." She hit the control and the door hissed shut. "Bri, stay close to Niklos." The Collector nodded and the batarian smiled at her before returning the aim point of his Revenant machine gun on the next hatch. "Should be a storage room twenty meters ahead on the left. Try to keep it quiet. We want speed, but silence will pay better in the end. We need intel. We need to know what we are facing." All three of the others nodded. "That said..." Anya said grimly with only a trace of a wince. "...if we have to shoot, we shoot. They will _not_ take this ship."

The hatch opened to an empty corridor and the Geth started off. It was only Anya's perception that the huge machine form seemed to move with the speed of a snail. It was moving, just not nearly as quick as she was used to moving. But with an unknown number of hostile aboard with unknown weapons and capabilities, it only made sense to have some heavy firepower along for the ride. The Geth made it to the storage room and opened the door before entering. Anya nodded to Niklos. He and Bri darted out, covering the distance in less than half the time the Geth had taken. Niklos wasn't the most dexterous of souls, but he was well trained and in superb condition. Bri was quick and sure in her movements. Anya smiled and darted forward herself, her field augmenting her speed. The hatch hissed shut behind her and she found herself in a small storage room. It looked as if it hadn't been touched in a while.

"A-900-X, can you access...?" She started to say, but broke off as Niklos hissed.

Everyone froze as he raised a hand. He laid it against the wall and an induction field activated. Voices could be heard just outside.

"..and I am _telling_ you I heard the hatch open." An irate female voice sounded. It sounded young and excited.

"And I am telling _you_..." A older and sour male voice sounded. Anya froze at the voice and Niklos did as well. They shared a feral glance. "...If that hatch _had_ opened, every alarm on this ship would have gone off. See?" He sounded amused and sarcastic now.

"We should search anyway." The female voice insisted. "We are supposed to be watching."

"Watching _what_?" A softer male voice sounded. " A bunch of people sleep? Although..." He had a leer in his voice now. "A few of those nurses are lookers." Anya motioned with three fingers at Niklos and he nodded. "Might have some fun with one or two of them before we drop them off." Anya felt her guts freeze, but then the sound of a fist striking something soft sounded and the male voice was suddenly whining. "Hey! Wasn't going to do anything! Can't blame me for looking!"

The first male voice was scornful. "And do you _really_ think _any_ of us are going to _survive_ this to enjoy _anything_?"He asked sourly.

"What do you mean?" The female asked, her voice cowed. "We should search."

"We are screwed is what I mean." The first male voice sounded tired for a moment. "If I had possessed _half_ a clue what they were going to do... I would have told them to shove it. Or shot them. This is just plain dumb. Attacking a Council Medical ship... The Council _cannot_ just ignore that or sweep it under the rug. Let alone who the captain's friends are."

"What are you, scared?" The second male voice asked in a snide tone. Niklos and Anya shared another look. He made a gesture across his throat and Anya shook her head. She motioned laying her head down and he nodded.

"I am terrified." The first male voice said softly. "And if you had _any_ sense whatsoever, you would be too. You don't know what those people could do."

"We should search anyway."The female said softly, obviously worried. "If nothing else, it will pass the time."

Niklos looked at Anya and she nodded. He flattened himself against the wall. Bri moved to stand behind him and Anya managed to squeeze herself on a shelf filled with computer supplies. She had a full view of the hatch however and Niklos smiled at her before freezing in place. The Geth slung it's weapon and froze in place just as the door hissed open.

"_Whoa!_" The girl... She couldn't have been over nineteen, said sharply as she fell backwards. "Another of those robot things!" She landed on her rump and scrambled for her pistol.

"Relax, girl." The second male voice belonged to a smallish human who looked in past where she lay on her rump and snickered at her. "It's dormant like the others." His rifle was slung. "Dunno how the lizards did it, but it worked. Good thing too. Otherwise we would have been dead as soon as we tried to come aboard. Geth are no joke to fight."

"What is a Geth doing in _here_?" The first male voice asked softly, looking around. He couldn't see Bri or Niklos from that angle and Anya was in shadow. Unless he shone a light in, he wouldn't see her. She drew a bead anyway, just in case.

"Inventory maybe?" The girl asked, getting to her feet. Both males shot incredulous looks at her and she shrugged. "Hey! I dunno." Then she paused and spoke hesitantly. "You know... That...doesn't look like the others..."

Everything stopped as A-900-X raised a hand. Green energy played out from it and surrounded the first man who had spoken in an electric haze, raising him off the floor in an rictus. He gave out an agonized groan but nothing else. The girl screamed and fell back onto her tail. The second man cursed and went for his rifle, only to fall as Niklos stepped out of cover and slammed him hard with the butt end of his reversed machine gun. Anya exploded into motion as Niklos stepped forward and slammed the man down again as he tried to rise. Before the girl could even get her pistol out, she was staring at the business end of Anya's Eagle pistol at the range of a foot. She stared up at Anya's mask and recognizable sounds came from her. The girl had wet herself.

"You move, you die." Anya said coldly. "Clear?" The girl nodded jerkily. "Hands." The girl raised her hands slowly. "On your stomach!" Anya commanded and the girl did as instructed. She gave a cry as Anya took her fully to the floor, but Anya was in no mood to be nice, even if she had the time, which she didn't. She bound the girl hand and foot quickly with the ubiquitous plastic cuffs that were so easy to carry and so hard to get off oneself. Then she reached for the girl's helmet.

"No, please!" The girl begged as Anya removed her helmet, exposing a face surrounded by black hair that was pretty but not beautiful. She couldn't have been more than eighteen. Years of hard living had left their marks on that face and she tried to hold her breath to avoid the gas. Anya was having none of it though and slammed the girl hard in the diaphragm. The girl's ill fitting armor, one of the sets that Drolis had identified as Talon armor, offered little protection and she gasped for breath before convulsing and then sinking in place, her face relaxing into sleep. Anya turned to find Niklos had the other man bound and his helm off. He was rising from the unconscious form as A-900-X released the man it had been holding.

"Well, well, well..." Anya said softly as she walked to where the man in question was rising to his hands and knees. "As I live and breath... Korin Lobas... What a _pleasant_ surprise." Her tone was merry, but...off.

"Anya... Captain...I..." The man gasped, trying to regain his equilibrium. The Geth's attack had drained his body's electrical field though and it would take him some time to recover. Time he didn't have.

"I am here for information, Korin." Anya said conversationally. "You are going to tell me everything I want to hear. Aren't you?" Bri stared at Anya, this wasn't the woman she knew. Niklos laid a hand on Bri's shoulder.

"Check the others, doc." Niklos said quietly as A-900-X stepped into the hallway to start on toward the next objective. "That one is dead." He nodded to the man Anya had called Korin, who shook his head spasmodically. The door to the storage room hissed shut behind the odd pair as they moved into the hall. A scream from a man's voice sounded, then another. The second cut off abruptly.

"What did he do?" Bri asked as she checked the girl and then the man quickly. "I have never seen her that angry."

"Ah..." Niklos sighed deeply. "He sold us out to Cerberus. He wormed his way into our midst then ran in the middle of a firefight. Got two of his teammates killed. Another was cut in nearly in half but survived. Cerberus left her to die. When the rest of us got there, Mara was crawling towards a com, to try and send a warning about his betrayal. Half her body was crushed where an Atlas had stepped on her, but she had no quit in her at all. He didn't pull the trigger on anybody, but he _did_ get Jonal and Kos killed." He nodded towards the door. "Anya won't kill him. He will _wish_ she did though."

"Why not?" Bri asked carefully. Somehow she didn't think it was mercy.

"That scum is not Anya's to kill. Anya promised him to Mara. Mara won't ever leave the bed that scum confined her to, but she _can_ still hold a gun." Niklos said quietly. "I hope Mara lets me watch though. I liked Kos."

"How can you be so... so..." Bri broke off, swallowing.

"Bri." Niklos said sadly. "I was born on Khar'shan." Bri stiffened and he nodded. "I watched my world burn with everyone I knew or liked on it. Life is not fair, Bri. It isn't easy or kind. I was a soldier before the Reapers came, a bit of cannon fodder for the Hegemony, until the Reapers... And then we learned what 'cannon fodder' really means." He shook his head. "There is nothing glamorous or glorious about our life. It is a job. No more, no less. But there are rules. Rules he broke."

"I'm sorry." Bri stammered. "I guess I keep placing you all in the roles of heroes from stories or something. You are not, I know that. But it hurts."

"It's not your fault, Bri." Niklos said with sad smile. Then he paused and laid a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Hold tight to your idealism, Bri. Harbinger couldn't burn it out of you. Leviathan couldn't burn it out of you. The only one who can make you give it up, is you. And if you lose it, you won't ever get it back." His words rang true, his four eyes shone with regret and compassion and Bri found herself hugging the gruff batarian. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "No intercourse until _after_ the mission. I have a reputation to maintain!" Bri was chuckling as she retreated a step.

"Yeah." Bri said with a sigh. "Should we move these in there too? Get them out of sight?"

"Uh... Let's wait until Anya comes out." Niklos said with a grimace as he lifted the unconscious male. "She can be a little..." He broke off as the hatch opened and Anya stood there, the unconscious form of Korin behind her. Even asleep, his face was a mask of fear and he had been crying.

"She can be a little _what_?" Anya asked archly.

"Testy when she gets interrupted?" Niklos said with aplomb. Anya looked at him and laughed.

"True." Anya said with a nod. "Yeah..." She agreed. "I can. Good idea, get them out of sight." She said to Niklos who nodded and carried the unconscious male into the storage room. "I didn't kill him, Bri." Anya said calmly as she picked up the unconscious girl to move her in with the others.

"Niklos explained." Bri said, obviously uncomfortable. "I mean, I understand. But you are scary." She admitted.

"It's a tool, Bri." Anya said, her tone mollifying. "Like any tool, fear can be used in any number of ways. I was trained to use it as a weapon to give me an edge in combat. I don't mean to scare _you_."

"I know." Bru scanned the unconscious forms again and then left the room quickly. "Where to now?"

"The med bay." Anya said with a nod. "Crado's team is scouting Engineering and the bridge. If they _can_ take them, they will. We take either place and this ship stops." She paused and smiled. "Speaking of..."

"Anya!" Luci appeared form nowhere just ahead. Bri had her rifle up and aimed before she had fully realized it was Luci. She lowered the muzzle, aware of how close she had come to shooting at the N7. She wouldn't have likely killed Luci, but it would have aggravated the volatile woman. "We have a problem." Bri stiffened as Anya did.

"What?" Anya asked.

"There are a _lot_ more enemies aboard than we thought. Salarians. They look like STG." Luci said quickly. "We counted ten in Engineering and ten on the bridge. I saw ten more on the way here. They are setting up barricades and heavy weapons. Bet on there being more than we saw though. Didn't want to chance a com, STG knows most of our codes."

"Thirty...?" Anya breathed. Then she shook her head. "Trap?"

"More than likely." Luci said quickly. "I think we have time though. The internal cams are still offline. It looks like they were trying to access them, but couldn't."

"Raan'ita learned paranoia from the best." Anya said with a nod. "Now I _wonder_ who this could be a trap _for_...?" She said rhetorically. "Has anyone checked the area that Raan'ita had set up as a brig?"

"Saun went by." Luci said with a nod. "Your dad is conscious and raving. The others are out cold. Even Joruz."

"They wouldn't want any more witnesses than they must. I wonder..." Anya said softly. "Any sign of other humans?" Luci looked at her and Anya shrugged. "Three mercs. Napping. One thing..." She said as Luci laughed coldly. "One was Korin Lobas."

"_That_ scum!" Luci hawked and spat. Then she stiffened. "Anya..."

"Yeah." Anya said soberly. "If _he_ is here, then this is aimed at _me_, or us..." She waved a hand at the people surrounding her. "I promised Mara she could have him and I keep my promises. But all of us felt pretty much the same way." She took a deep breath. "Luci, go back. Tell Crado to take and hold the bridge." Then she froze. "Wait a minute... Oh my god! Luci! Did you or any of the other see Rann'ita's kids?"

"No." Luci said, her voice flat. "You don't think..."

"What better way to break a mother than to hurt her kids?" Anya asked softly, but her voice was feral. "Raan'ita will be in the med bay. We are heading there. Has anyone checked the hangar bay?"

"I did." Luci said, her posture turning worried as Anya nodded. "Most of the salarians that I saw outside of engineering and the bridge were there. Some were setting up defenses, some working on on of the Merciful Flight's shuttles. They had something I couldn't identify just outside the shuttle. It looked kind of like reaper tech, but not quite. Why?"

"Shit..." Anya cursed. "I was afraid of this."

"Anya...?" Luci said, worried.

"When you get the bridge..." Anya continued. "Contact Admiral Tai'Zorah vas Normandy. Tell her this ship must _not_ escape. I am _finally_ getting a feel for this and I do _not_ like it."

"Care to fill the rest of us in?" Luci asked, not moving. "Because if it _is_ a trap, we should egress, come back later when they are not expecting us."

"We can't." Anya said softly. "Not only are there a bunch of hostages counting on us, I bet I know what the salarians have planned. And if I am right..." She shook her head.

"Anya." Luci said flatly. "Spill it."

"Who do the salarians hate and fear more than anyone else in the galaxy?" Anya asked softly. Luci stared at her and then inhaled sharply. Niklos did as well. Bri looked from one to the other, confused. But Anya was speaking again. "Yeah, the krogan. So... What if, suddenly some dalatross got the plans for a really, really, _really_ big bomb? One that requires someone to die to trigger, but will put _paid_ to _any_ chance of the krogan coming back? You think they would hesitate? One innocent life never stopped them in the past." Anya said with a scowl. "Lordin wanted Shepard to kill the scientist who made the cure for the genophage after all."

"You think they built one of the machines that your father designed?" Niklos asked softly.

"I am betting on it. I never saw them, but others have described them as you just did, Luci." Anya said quietly. "And if _this_ ship shows up in orbit around Tuchanka..." Bri gasped and Anya nodded to the Collector. Bri was shaking as she spoke.

"They would be welcomed." Bri said, horrified. "A shuttle flies down and..." She broke off, shaking her head. Niklos laid a hand on her shoulder as Anya nodded.

"Boom." Anya said softly. She cursed. "Change of plans. A-900-X, Niklos, Bri... I need you to hit engineering." Niklos stared at her and Anya scowled. "I don't need you to _hold_ it, I just need you to make a lot of noise, and wreck as much as you can. Don't take any stupid risks. Then get to the shuttle and get out of here." Niklos shook his head, but Anya was already turning to Luci. "Luci... Get back to Crado. Take the bridge and do the same thing. Make a lot of noise, then wreck as much as you can, get clear and then... Contact Obligatha and tell it to blow this ship out of space if it starts moving again."

"Anya!" Luci snapped, aghast.

"Luci, please. Raan'ita would _never_ forgive herself if she let her ship be used for genocide. She would be the first to say stop them using any and all means necessary." Anya said quietly. "If they don't get _me_, they _will_ go for Portia. Please, Luci..." Anya begged.

"They wouldn't _dare_." Bri protested. "The Council wouldn't stand for it."

"Bri, these are salarians we are talking about here." Anya said quietly. "For them, the best kind of war is the one that is over before it begins. The end always justifies the means for them. Kill one innocent to save their race another galactic war -even if it _causes_ one- oh hell yeah, they would. The turians stationed there, the other races' representatives? Not important to them if they wipe out the krogan."

"You think Drolis might be in on this?" Niklos asked carefully. Anya thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"He doesn't think like a salarian anymore." Anya said with a sigh. "He has more in common with krogan and vorcha than salarians now. _Could_ it be a long laid plot? Sure. But it really doesn't seem to be his style."

"Wait." Bri said softly. "You said 'You', not... 'us'." She stared at Anya. "What are you going to do, Anya?"

"What I do best." Anya said with a savage grin. "I am going to do what I do best, Bri. Make a mess."


	83. Chapter 83

Anya was calm as she cat walked forward, trying to be as quiet as she could. She had avoided two of the salarian strong points already. They were good, no question. These were not mindless Reaper pawns who charged in until slain. These were not Cerberus troops who moved somewhat intelligently at times and other times acted like they had rocks in their skulls. These were not Geth possessed by Reapers who were downright _scary_ to face since they didn't have any fear and advanced with skill and precision. They were not even Collectors, who just kept coming! These were salarians. Most were probably veterans of the Special Tasks Group, the salarian espionage force that served as the bulk of their military.

Salarians as a whole were fast, incredibly fast. They thought fast, talked fast and moved fast. Their hand-eye coordination was simply unreal to most humans. But... They were not as hardy as other races. Specifically turians and krogan made them seem absolutely fragile. They were not, in Anya's experience. But they couldn't take the same damage either. So they found ways to fight that didn't involve standing and taking punishment. Their usual tactics of hit and run, fast surgical strikes and stealthy attacks on command and control were legendary in special operations circles. But they were no slouches at other things either. Their diversionary attack to support Commander Shepard's assault on the rogue Specter Saren Arterius' base on Virmire had shown the galaxy what salarians could do when put to it. Anya had nothing but admiration for the salarians she had fought beside during the war. They had been tough, smart and capable. But they were not omniscient.

Anya had served on a _lot_ of Alliance cruisers such as the Merciful flight had been before it's conversion to a medical ship. . She had spent a great deal of time on said cruisers. Before the war, N7s had been sent to do some _very_ odd jobs. A couple had even had Anya crawling through the ducts on Alliance cruisers. Like she was now. The duct wasn't large enough for her to stand in, but that was no hindrance for her. The sensors that had been placed in the duct seemed to be standard STG work, efficient, not showy and fairly easy to bypass if one knew how. Which Anya did. She wasn't a tech by nature or training, but _any_ special ops trooper was expected to pick up skills whenever possible. It only made _sense_ in wartime especially. You never knew when your field tech was going to get hit by a sniper, or artillery.

She wasn't sure how sensitive salarian ears were, so she erred on the side of caution. She had maybe a minute or two before Admiral Tali'zorah's force was supposed to arrive, so she was in a hurry, but she could not rush. Haste led to mistakes and those got people killed. She checked her position against the map on her HUD and smiled grimly. She was about to enter... She froze as a voice she didn't know sounded nearby.

"There now..." The male voice was gentle. "Better? We didn't want to hurt you, boy." Anya looked through the grating nearby and her guts clenched as she saw a salarian bending over a supine form. A small form in a quarian exo suit. "Just relax and everything will be fine."

"You hurt my mom." Cado'Nya's voice was slurred. Drugged? Anya paused, how was he _conscious_? All the salarians she had seen wore full helmets with breathers to avoid the knockout gas that was still circulating. The one beside Cado'Nya was no different. Then she realized the boy had a small tent like structure around his head. A head that was swathed in bandages!

"We didn't want to." The salarian said sadly. "We are trying not to."

"Don't lie to me, you boshtet!" The boy said, trying to rise, but he couldn't. Anya didn't see any restraints, so maybe the drug? "He made her cry! He hurt her! You hurt her!"

"Don't move." The salarian commanded. "You have internal injuries and I don't know how to treat them on your kind. I am going to put you in stasis until we can get you to proper medical care." The boy spit at him, but could do nothing else as the salarian lifted Cado'nya up, tent and all, and placed him inside something. Then the salarian sighed. "Damn it, kid. Why did you go for that gun...?"

"How is he?" Another salarian voice sounded and Anya eased her way further towards the med bay.

"I don't know, sir." What had to be a salarian medic replied sadly. "He has lost a lot of blood and one lung has collapsed. Then the concussion... Sir... Wherever we pull him out better be a full on trauma center or he won't make it."

"There were always going to be casualties, corporal."The officer said with a snap. "Do your job."

"I don't know about you, sir..." The medic said with a similar snap. "But I joined STG to _prevent_ civilian casualties. Not _inflict_ them."

"You are out of line, corporal." The officer replied evenly.

"Am I?" The corporal asked sourly. "And this.." He indicated the ship. "_Isn't?_" He demanded. "Hijacking, kidnapping, torture... All in a day's work?"

"Sometimes. I know it is bad, corporal." The officer said quietly. "What we are doing is bad. But it _has_ to be done."

"Yes sir." The medic said dispiritedly. "I just... This feels wrong, sir."

"Hold that feeling, corporal." The officer said gently. "If what we are doing _doesn't_ feel wrong... You have problems." He sighed. "And on that note... They need you."

"Damn it." The corporal said softly. "She is awake again?" He sounded afraid, but not for himself. "I don't know how much more she can take, sir. Not and stay sane." At that, Anya stiffened.

"We don't need her sane, corporal." The officer said coldly. "We just need her obedient." At _that_, Anya started moving again, slowly and carefully. But her hand was on her pistol.

"First person to talk to her will notice something wrong, sir." The corporal said slowly. "You brought me in because of my skills. Well, in my professional opinion, she is one very small step from breaking so hard that we won't be able to use her at all. If _that_ happens..." The corporal shrugged. "You want her broken, let him keep at her, let him keep using the drug on her. You want her able to do more than count to ten? Get him away from her and back off the dose. It will take longer, but she _will_ be functional. Somewhat."

"I see." The officer said softly. "We are twenty minutes from the relay and the quarians that the blasted Prothean called are delayed." At that, Anya felt her guts clench again.

"Do we _know_ that for sure, sir?" The corporal asked calmly. "And do we know for sure the _quarians_ didn't contact anyone else? That Reaper is still following, right?"

"It is, and... no." The officer said quietly. "Ok. I'll get the interrogator to back off the dose. But we need her codes."

"Sir." The corporal said diffidently. "You brought me aboard for my medical expertise. I have given you my medical opinion, what you do with it is up to you. You want the subject docile, controllable. Fine. I can do that with my drugs." The salarian said calmly. "But you _also_ want information from her. Not so fine. The drugs don't work as they should on quarians _anyway_, and then that _sick son of a bit-_"

"Corporal." The officer said in warning.

"Sir, with all due respect..." There was precious little respect in the corporal's voice. "I heal people. I have done things for STG that haunt my dreams to this day. Breaking the quarian's will, I can see. But he didn't _need_ to shoot the kid. He wanted to. He _let_ the kid grab the gun, sir. You know it, I know it. He is a sadistic piece of crap and if I am _alive_ after this I _am_ going to file a report on his actions. Sir. What he has been doing is uncalled for."

"You and me both, corporal." The officer said softly. "You and me both. Maybe from _both_ of us, HQ will listen and lock the scum up somewhere. Or just remove the problem. Make sure the kids are okay, then come in. We will need you to keep her stable while he works."

"If he sticks that thing in her again and giggles, sir..." The corporal said savagely. "I am going to shoot him."

"Corporal, we need the ship's control codes as well as the primary subject's." The officer said in a tone that sad he actually agreed with the corporal, but couldn't _say_ that. "She has them. We need them. You can keep her alive while we get them. If she is alive, they can probably put her back together. I hope so anyway." The officer said sadly.

"I doubt it." The corporal said softly, but bent over the stasis pod. The officer sighed and left the room. Anya eased the access hatch open and slowly, ever so slowly moved to flank the salarian who was muttering under his breath, obviously agitated. Then she was in range.

One blow of the contact stunner mounted under the barrel of her pistol had the salarian corporal twitching on the deck. He wouldn't stay there long, so she quickly bound him hand and foot. Ten she hit her omni-tool and smiled as she found what she wanted. The room's enviro controls were still active. The kids were in perfect stasis. She activated one of the room's special functions and waited for her prisoner to wake. It didn't' take long.

"What the...?" The salarain said, shrugging off the stun far faster than a human would, but finding himself fettered. "What the hell...?" He looked up into Anya's Fury mask and his eyes widened under his helmet. The pistol in her hands was not common issue, but anyone with special ops background would recognize it. An M-11 silenced pistol. An assassination weapon. "Oh shit..."

"'Oh shit' is right. You people are so far down in the pile of mierda it just isn't funny." Anya said in a calm tone. "Give me _one_ good reason I shouldn't blow your brains all over the floor." She said while fiddling with the controls. She wasn't as comfortable with the weapon as her Eagle, but it _did_ have a bunch of advantages.

"You are Captain Anya." The salarian said, slumping. "You have to get out of here. This is a trap! For you!"

"I know." Anya said calmly. "But I don't leave my friends behind. I also don't take kindly to people trying to perform genocide." The salarian's eyes went even wider. "How many in there with Raan'ita?"

"You are insane." The salarian said slowly. "They will take you, use you!"

"They will _try_." Anya corrected the salarian almost gently. "How many?" The salarian shook his head, trying his fetters and Anya smiled under her mask, aimed and fired. The pistol made it's usual 'pfft' noise and the salarian jerked, screaming as the projectile tore a hole in his leg. He brought himself under control quickly.

"They will hear..." He gasped as she took aim again.

"Raan'ita thought of just about everything." Anya said in fond memory. "Most of the rooms have sound baffles for when people wanted privacy. One. Least. Chance." Anya said, keeping her tone deliberately mild. "How. Many?" She asked as she stepped on the hurt leg. "I don't have time to be nice about this."

"F...Four...inside." The salarian said. "Two...guards... the interrogator... Captain Loris." The corporal said in a daze. "I didn't want to..."

"I don't care." Anya said calmly as she undid his helmet. He stared at her with disbelieving eyes, then gasped as she kicked his leg again. The gas worked just as fast as before and he slumped unconscious. "Well, let's find out if you were lying, shall we?" She picked up the salarian and held his unconscious form in front of her as she moved to the door. She didn't look at the stasis pods. Sentiment was for later. Now she had a job to do. She hit the door and a voice sounded.

"Doc?" The officer said. "_What the he-_?" he had the chance to say as Anya stepped in the shield held in front of her. Both guards were bringing up their rifles, but they had been looking the wrong way and Anya had all the time in the world to aim and fire. Two muffled reports and both fell, red holes in their helmets.

"Hell indeed." Anya said calmly. "It's over."

"On the contrary, Captain Anya." Another salarian said from where he stood next to a figure bound to a ob-gyn chair. Raan'ita wore a air mask, but nothing else. Her body was a mess of bruises and seeping cuts. Wires ran from machinery nearby to various places on her body. "Now it begins. Drop your weapon or I kill your friend." He aimed his pistol at the bound quarian.

"Riiight." Anya said snidely. "I drop my weapon and you use her to smuggle the machine onto Tuchanka. She is dead either way."

"You care for her." The salarian said with a smirk. "Do you want to see her scream?" Anya ignored him and looked at the salarian captain. His clear visor made his expression easy to read. He looked as if he had eaten something _very_ sour. "Don't ignore me, captain." The salarian warned.

"You know..." Anya said in a mild tone that fooled no one. "Before today I had a great deal of respect for STG. I worked with some of your people during the war. Always got the job done, but..." Anya sighed. "They _knew_."

"Knew what?" The salarian captain asked softly. His weapon was _not_ up, Anya noticed. It would be the work of milliseconds for him to raise it and fire, but she was shielded a bit by her hostage. Of course if he was anywhere _near_ the marksman of some other salarians she had known, she was dead. But they didn't want her dead, did they?

"They knew that it didn't take them being monsters to _fight_ monsters." Anya said with a glance at the interrogator who looked non-plussed at her casual dismissal. "Thing is, I didn't always agree." Anya said softly, musing. "I was always angry. So angry..." Anya mused. "Raan'ita?" Anya said sadly. "I am sorry I snapped at you. You and yours will _always_ be welcome in my home."

"An.." Raan'ita's eyes focused on Anya slowly through the haze of drugs and pain. "Anya? No..." Raan'ita said slowly, then burst into tears. "_No!_" She begged.

"Shut up!" the interrogator snapped slamming the barrel of his pistol into Raan'ita's head. Near a long red furrow that went straight up the side of it, Anya noticed. "We are in control!"

"Are you?" Anya asked calmly. "You touch her again and you die." Anya's pistol was aimed at the interrogator now. "I don't know what you did to her, and right now, I don't care. What I do care about is that this ship is going nowhere."

"You didn't come alone." The salarian captain said slowly. "How many?"

"Enough." Anya said with nod. "You made a big mistake. I may be angry with Raan'ita and her husband, but I do love them. For a very long time, I was afraid to love." Anya said softly. "It was a weakness. A vulnerability."

"Shut up." The interrogator snapped, his hand clenching on his pistol.

"You _really_ think _you_ are in control...?" Raan'ita said incredulously in the silence that fell as Anya looked at the interrogator and he looked back. "Anya? The kids?"

"Alive." Anya said quietly. "Cado'Nya is hurt bad but they put him in stasis. Bralo is already there and sleeping. They will be all right..."She paused and shrugged. "Provided of course Obligatha doesn't blow the ship out of space." Raan'ita actually laughed at that.

"Good for you, Anya..." Raan'ita screamed as the interrogator hit a control. She spasmed in the chair, jerking as current fed through her body.

"I told you to shut up." The interrogator said coldly. "Let's see how you like having a vegetable as a friend..." He broke off and blanched as Anya dropped the still form she held and her hand came up, glowing blue! The salarian captain took one look and threw his weapon away from himself before falling to the floor, his hands on his head. The interrogator screamed as power wrapped around him, yanking him off the floor in a blue embrace. Whatever he had been doing to Raan'ita stopped as he was frozen in place. leaving the quarian to slump in her bonds, gasping. "That is not _possible! Your biotics were disabled!_"

"I got better." Anya said in that same mild voice. "And I told _you_..." The interrogator tried to grab for his control and Anya made a throwing gesture. The salarian screamed as he flew through the air to hit the wall. The scream cut off with dreadful finality as the sound of a neck breaking was heard. "...that if you touched her again, I would kill you." She looked at the salarian captain and shook her head. "You gonna be stupid too?" She asked, but paused as Raan'ita screamed as an odd sound came from behind her.

"_Anya, look out!_" The quarian cried as something heavy hit Anya from behind. Her gun went flying, but that was the least of her weapons.

Anya was spinning, then slammed into the floor and held in place, aware on some level that it was some kind of net. She could hear electricity crackling and felt pain, but pain was an old friend. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as some other things in her life had. Anger was also an old friend. So was the white hot rage that flew through her. Her barrier stabilized and the pain ebbed. She rose to her hands and knees, hearing a terrified voice behind her.

"_Captain Loris!_" A terrified young voice shouted. "That was full power! How the _hell_ can she be getting up?" Anya snarled at the still prone salarian captain and she rose to her full height and the net flew away from her as her biotic fields detonated and then stabilized. She turned to see a _very_ scared looking young salarian trying to reload an odd looking weapon, obviously the net launcher. Anya raised a finger and waggled it from side to side and the young salarian seemed to wilt, but he did keep trying to reload.

"Drop it, private!" The captain called. "You don't have a chance against her! _None_ of us do! Drop it now!" The young soldier did as ordered, throwing the net launcher away and raising his hands. Anya growled, a sound more kin to an angry varren than a human.

"You hurt my friend and her kids." Anya said softly. "I bet you drugged her and her husband, to drive me away from them. To let you get aboard easily. You hurt my friend." Anya repeated, her voice going soft and silky. "Should I hurt you?" She asked in odd tone. Raan'ita stared at her, her face even more terrified.

"Anya... No..." Raan'ita begged. "No... Don't...There is no need. Anya... Easy, Anya.. It's okay... Calm down... Please..."

"What the hell...?" The captain asked but Rann'ita snarled at him.

"Shut up. Don't move. Don't speak. Don't do _anything!_ One time I heard you ask what would happen if Anya got truly pissed off?" Raan'ita asked snidely. "I have seen it. Hell _truly_ hath no fury like an N7 Fury pissed." Her voice calmed. "Anya... It's okay. It's over."

"Raan'ita..." Anya said slowly. "You are bleeding between your legs." Raan'ita stared down at herself and she was. She shuddered. Anya continued. "How can you say it's _okay? **It's not okay!**_" She shouted. "These scum were going to use me _and you_ to commit genocide! That is _not_ okay!"

"Anya." Raan'ita said softly. "You stopped them. It's okay." She said with a grin. "I guess this squares-..." Raan'ita broke off, her face going slack as the sound of a shot was heard. Anya spun to the door where a pair of salarian troops stood, rifles at the ready. The shot had passed close by her, but it had not hit her. Not...her. Anya froze as she looked from the salarians to where Raan'ita sat. "I..." Raan'ita stared at the troops, then at herself where a stain was spreading on her chest. No armor or barriers to block the shot. "No... Anya... No..." Raan'ita begged as she slumped in her bonds. "Anya..." The quarian begged, tears falling.

"Don't move." The closest trooper said slowly.

"Raan'ita?" Anya asked her tone oddly childlike as she ignored the troops to move to the chair where her friend was collapsing. "Raan'ita?" She begged. "No..." She said, tears starting to fall. Training came to the fore and she pulled out her omni-tool, but froze. It showed the bullet had hit the major artery that left Raan'ita's heart to feed the blood through the rest of her body. She would be dead in seconds. All the medi-gel in the galaxy wouldn't help that. "No." Anya gasped, suddenly afraid.

"Anya, I am sorry..." Raan'ita said softly. "Not your fault. Anya... don't..." She gasped and then was still.

"Raan'ita?" Anya said softly dazed. "Raan'ita!" She demanded, shaking the still form. "No! Raan'ita!" She cast out with her mind. {_Obligatha!_} She screamed mentally. {Tell me you got her!}

{We am sorry, Anya.} Obligatha's response was muted, sad. {We can't... connect... Probably due to the interrogation. We are sorry. Anya... Don't do anything rash...} Anya shuddered and closed the connection, trying with all her might to keep her rage from overwhelming her.

"What have you done?" Anya asked softly as the two soldiers came in, others following. "What have you idiots done?" She said, hugging the still form of her best friend.

"Put your hands where I can see them." One of the soldiers said coldly. Anya ignored him and he snarled at her. "I said..."

"Sergeant." The captain said from where he still lay, not moving. "Drop your weapon. All of you... Drop your weapons. Now." He said softly.

"Sir, the trap worked. We _have_ her." The soldier protested, but paused as Anya rose, her head bowed. "Don't move, human!" He said sharply.

"All we _have_, sergeant, is a pile of hurt." The captain said softly when where he lay. "Captain Anya, it wasn't intended. It was reflex! He didn't intend to shoot her. We needed her alive! We might still be able to save her! We surrender! Sergeant, drop your weapon! _That is an order!_" He shouted.

"You killed my friend." Anya said softly, disbelieving. "I... I don't believe it. You killed her." She said, dazed. She shook her head, obviously not seeing the troops who were still pointing weapons at her. "After all the horror, all the messes, all the stupidity and evil of the Reaper war. So many missions, so many lives she saved. And... You missed _me_ and killed her." She asked, dumbfounded. "You just... bang and she is dead." She was shaking hard, trying to stay focused. "You hurt her and now you have killed her."

"Put your hands on your head, human!" The salarian sergeant commanded. "Now! I won't ask again!"

"Sergeant, her biotics are _live!_" the captain snapped. "None of us have a chance against her! Don't do _anything! No!_" He shouted as the sergeant grabbed Anya's arm, probably to restrain her. The sergeant froze as Anya's gaze landed on him. Her eyes through the mask slits were...wrong.

"You killed my friend." Anya repeated softly, almost conversationally. Then the room exploded in blue fire.


	84. Chapter 84

**The last chapter was Anya losing control. It was confusing, I know. It was deliberately from her point of view and she was NOT stable. It will make more sense shortly.**

* * *

"What the hell?" Bri snapped as she recoiled into cover, her weapon beeping at her. She had targeted a salarian engineer and her rifle had been burning the enemy soldier's shields down when it seemed like the entire ship had shuddered. "What was that?"

They hadn't wanted to obey Anya's orders. But the N7 had simply held out her weapon to Niklos who had taken it with an odd expression and given her his. Bri hadn't recognized the long barreled pistol Anya had taken. Then, before anyone else could say anything, Anya had vanished. Bri sort of understood. Anya was faster than any of the rest of them. She could stage a diversion and get clear. But there had been something in the human's eyes through the eyeslits of her helmet. Something in her voice. Whatever it had been had frankly worried Bri and she had seen Niklos also looking worried. There hadn't been time to converse though since Niklos and the geth had immediately headed for Engineering and Bri followed along.

They had taken the salarians there completely by surprise. Before the ten salarians standing guard in engineering had even known the team was there, half of them had fallen to accurate and deadly fire from the geth and batarian. Bri did her best, but she was utterly outclassed by the two lethal individuals she was accompanying. For a moment, Bri had hoped, but then the enemy had regrouped and fought back. A heavy turret and several combat drones had filled the air with bullets and incendiary bolts. Niklos had snarled and tried to advance under cover from the geth, only to fall in a hail of gunfire. Bri had darted out into the fray and pulled him back to tend his wounds while the geth kept the enemy's heads down. She patched him up and he went back to fighting.

"Nothing good." Niklos snapped as he fired another burst from his Revenant. "Good news is, we didn't jump. Bad news is, I don't think we can get in."

"This one agrees." A-900-X said over the sound of its fire. The multiple barrel weapon that it held threw a staggering amount of fire, but the salarian were quick, very quick. They would pop out of cover, fire, and then dart back. Stalemate. The team couldn't get in, but if the salarians left their cover, the team would tear them to pieces. "Probability favors retreat."

"Yeah." Niklos said sourly. "Don't like failing the boss, but she wouldn't want us beating our heads in against fixed defenses. Let's get out of here... doc? You mobile?" Bri had taken a round to the leg earlier and she tested it experimentally. She nodded, her face grim. "Okay, let..." His words cut out and Bri screamed as his head seemed to explode. He was dead, and more than dead. His head was _gone_ as his body fell and she spun to see a new group of salarians approaching from behind. One was lowering a sniper rifle.

"Bri Healer!" The geth called urgently. "Retreat!"

"I can't leave you!" Bri protested.

"This one can escape anytime via download." The geth said, firing some kind of _huge_ blue glowing things at the newcomers. They scattered for cover and fire sought the geth whose shield started sparking. "This platform is expendable, you are not. _Go!_" It thundered at her and turned to engage the newcomers. Bri blanched, One had just unfolded a...

The world exploded in a haze of light as the Hydra rocket launcher fired. A swarm of missiles sought the geth who stood, still firing as they closed in. As if in slow motion, Bri saw one of the small missiles head for her. Then, faster than thought, the mechanical sentient grabbed her and threw her to the floor. Somehow it had moved between her and the missiles. Each and every one of them hit the geth. The flash was blinding and when she could see again, all that was left of the huge geth was a pair of armored legs.

"No!" Bri screamed, and then she was running. She had no idea _where_ she was running, or even where the rest of the team was. She just had to...

_Wait sec? How had she gotten on the floor? Where was her rifle?_ Something held her as she struggled.

"What the _hell_ is this thing?" An incredulous voice asked. Bri tried to look at the speaker, but couldn't move. Electricity scorched through her limbs as she struggled. "Hey!" The voice sounded annoyed. "Stop that."

"You murdering bastards!" Bri screamed. "Go ahead! Kill me too!"

"You attacked us, Collector." An authoritative voice said flatly. "Get this 'thing' to the captain. They will be able to get answers from it. I will try and clean up the mess here." Another of the booms that has sounded earlier was heard and the voice turned worried. "What the hell was that? Can anyone get through to the captain?"

"No sir." Another worried voice sounded. "Geez, were there only _three_ of them?"

"N7 Special Ops team." The authoritative voice said with a sigh. "Utter bad asses. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying through their teeth."

"I'll say." The first voice said, sounding awed. "If we hadn't hit them when we did..."

"We would be as dead as the rest of squad in engineering, kid. Only two left out of ten, holy..." The authoritative voice said. Bri started struggling again and the voice snapped. "Stun that..." Something slammed into Bri with the subtlety of a freight train. She had a moment to realize it had been a stun baton before everything went black.

* * *

Bri was flying. No... She was floating. She parsed her feelings and memories, trying to makes sense of this. Her wings were gone, she couldn't be... She started wake and struggled, but a voice she remembered from before snapped.

"Don't make me stun you again." Bri tried to look at the speaker, but she couldn't move. She was lying on her stomach and from the feeling, strapped down. She was lying on something that moved underneath her. She could see ahead a little and corridors stretched out. She looked down and she was on a gurney. She smiled a bit forlornly as she wondered if it was the same one she had left the ship on.

"It won't work." Bri said softly, relaxing as best she could. Whatever was about to happen, it wouldn't be good. "The Council knows what you are doing."

"Shut up!" The voice snapped, louder. "You killed my friends."

"And you attacked mine." Bri said, trying to keep her tone reasonable. "What was I supposed to do, ask you nicely to stop?" This wasn't a situation she had ever trained for and she was... Her thoughts took an abrupt shift as the whole ship seemed to shudder again. "What the hell?" Bri asked, worried. "Did you feel that?"

"Shut up!" The voice snapped, fear audible now.

"That was three times." Bri said slowly, feeling her words with care. "That wasn't mechanical, whatever it was." A thud sounded nearby and Bri froze. But then hands were unstrapping her.

"It wasn't mechanical." A new voice, one she knew sounded. She looked up into Crado Solinus' helmet visor. Bri smiled, but then tensed. Crado was _not_ happy.

"What is wrong?" Bri asked as he helped her off the gurney. The salarian at her feet moaned a bit but she ignored him. His helmet had been yanked off and he was trying to hold his breath. She relaxed a bit, he was no threat. As soon as he took a breath, the gas would knock him out.

"Lots." Crado said grimly. "Bri... Your mask..." Crado said, his hand touching her face. Her hand shot up to it and yes, her filter mask was gone!

"I guess the implants work." Bi said with a smile that faded. "Niklos is dead. A-900-X is too." She shook herself. "Couldn't help them."

"The geth isn't dead, Bri." Crado said gently. "It downloaded into another chassis and contacted me. Niklos dying is not your fault."

"I know that." Bri said a touch sharply. "But it still hurts. I liked him."

"We all did." Crado said with a nod. "And you know what? He was a terrorist and slaver before the Reaper war. Worked for the Hegemony's Special Intervention Unit." Bri felt all of her eyes go wide and Crado nodded. "We all hated him at first, but then, we got to know him, understand him. And even if we had kept hating him? We took _anybody_ who could fight, Bri." The turian soldier said with a sigh. "Luci said Anya was heading to Medical?"

"Yeah." Bri said carefully as the turian started off and she followed a bit unsteady. "She took a weird gun from Niklos, gave him hers and vanished."

"She was going to try and help Raan'ita." Crado said with a nod. "I was on my way to do the same." Bri looked at him and he shrugged. "Bridge is disabled and the rest of the team is extracting."

"I...uh..." Bri swallowed. "Any salarian survivors?" Crado gave her a look and she nodded, feeling sick. Anya had said those four were the sneakiest. Then she and Crado were jolted off their feet by another of the odd tremors. "What the _hell_ are those?"

"If I had to guess..." Crado said, his tone worried. "Anya."

"Anya?" Bri asked slowly. "She is powerful, _that_ powerful?"

"If she has gone berserk..." Crado said softly. "Yeah. Last time it happened was on Benning. She doesn't remember it all, thank the spirits!"

"What happened?" Bri asked, cringing. She liked Anya. "I mean, if she loses control, then she can't do anything, right?" She asked. "Right?" Biotics required a lot of focus.

"She doesn't react like you or I would when we get mad. Most people get hot, get flustered, get bothered... She gets cold. Cold, hard and merciless. On Benning, she saw a group of kids killed." Crado said heavily. "She lost it. She went berserk. Tore into the Cerberus forces alone. Tore most of them apart, according to the one who was there who survived." Bri shook her head in horror, but Crado wasn't done. "According to Kriiil, who saw it, she picked up an _Atlas_ with her biotics." Bri stopped short, her eyes going even wider and Crado nodded. "He was not prone to exaggeration, and he shared the memory before he left the team. Drell have perfect recall. He described it in detail. She picked it up. Not far, but she did."

"An... Atlas...mech..." Bri asked, her tone hesitant.

"Yeah." Crado said softly. "So her power increases the angrier she gets. Which should not be possible."

"She is odd, but... If she keeps ramping up the power that way, her body can't handle the stress. It will kill her." Bri said, her tone normalizing. "We have to stop her."

"We are going to try. Or she may break the ship, no joke." Crado said gently. "But if I tell you to run, you run." He commanded. "The salarians are utterly outclassed..." He jerked, throwing Bri to the side and vanishing in place as a group of forms appeared ahead. The team of salarians were moving quickly and obviously agitated. They didn't see Bri where she cowered and were gone as fast as they had appeared. "They were heading for medical." Crado said slowly as he reappeared.

"You think..." Whatever else Bri was going to say was drowned out by screams that were fillowed by a thunderous boom. Bri froze as salarians and _pieces_ of salarians came flying back from where they had gone. The screams stopped abruptly. A form appeared walking steadily, looking neither left nor right. Anya! She was wreathed in power, blue and black power. Bri opened her mouth to call out and stiffened as an armored hand clamped across it.

"Shh...!" Crado commanded. "She has lost it." He said softly. "On Benning, she killed a teammate she never even saw. She regretted it, after. But she didn't hesitate when it happened. He was trying to help her." Bri felt faint but nodded. "She made me promise I wouldn't let her kill any more teammates. Or innocents. There are a lot of innocents on this ship."

"The salarians..." Bri said slowly.

"...are no longer the problem. If they have any sense, the remainder will run like hell." Crado said softly. "Go. Head to medical. See if you can find Raan'ita. Maybe _she_ can calm this mess down. Anya.. loves..." He froze as a horrible thought occurred. "Oh no... No nonononono..." He shook his head, horror clear in his posture. "If they hurt Raan'ita or killed her...Spirits!" He swore. "_Go!_ Find Raan'ita!" He commanded her with a shove and ran after Anya.

Bri stared after him, a protest on her lips, but then he faded from sight as he ran. She shook her head and ran herself, the other way, towards the medical bay. It was easy to find. The trail of bodies and pieces of them was ruler straight through the ship. A bulkhead stood, half closed. A glance showed that the huge door had been warped. A salarian corpse lay where it had fallen, apparently trying to close the door. But the scene in medical had her freezing in horror. The still forms that lay around the room were mute testimonials to Anya's rage but it was what held the center of the room that drew Bri's immediate, horrified attention.

Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight lay still on a chair. Nothing living was quite so still. She had been interrogated. But the bullet wound on her bare chest showed what had happened.

"_No!_" Bri screamed as she ran forward. She laid her hands on the still quarian and poured power into the other female. She frowned. Raan'ita was far, far colder than she should have been even sitting in a chair with no clothes on. But there was... Wait... She stiffened as something responded. This was almost _exactly_ like what had happened to Anya. Of course, Anya had also taken a shot to the head and Raan'ita's was mostly intact. Bri knelt beside the chair, her face streaming tears as she held the quarian's head in gentle hands. There was still brain activity. Dim, but there. "It's not your time, Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight. Stay, your family and friends need you."

{I...} The mental voice of the quarian healer was weak, she was fading. {I am so cold. It hurts... and I am cold...}

{I know.} Bri said gently as she started to work. Her ability to heal was not -quite- like most races. It wasn't touch healing and it wasn't tech based. She gave part of herself to heal the wounds of others. It hurt. Every single time, it hurt like nothing else in Bri's existence had. But it was worth it. She jerked in place, as her power flowed into the quarian, seeking the damage the shot had done. {You are still alive, Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight. I don't understand how, but you are on the verge of hypothermia.}

{He... He hurt me...} Raan'ita said haltingly. {He made me hot, made me cold, put things in me... I...}

{It's all right.} Bri crooned. {Let me work... Ah... The upper aorta...} She focused her power on the terrible wound and with a jerk, the hole on the female quarian's artery was closed. {I...} Bri staggered. Energy and raw materials for such repairs had to come from somewhere. In this case, they came from Bri. {You need... fluids...} Bri said slowly. She couldn't focus on mental communication so she switched to audible. "Where is your blood?" She asked as she undid the restraints.

"Bri...?" Raan'ita's soft voice was incredulous. "I was... I died..."

"Not... Not quite." Bri said, rising. Too fast. She staggered and fell, catching herself on the chair. Raan'itas's hand came to grasp her. "You need fluids. Now..." She said sharply and rose to unsteady feet.

"Bri." Raan'ita asked softly. "I was dead. I was shot. Probably got the aorta. What did you do?"

"You are not dead until you are warm and dead. And I don't know what the salarians gave you." Bri said, snapping both at Raan'ita and her own weakness. "I healed the tear in your aorta, but you need fluids to replace the blood you have lost. You will need time and care to heal the rest."

"You... healed...?" Raan'ita asked, dazed. Then she shook herself and started pulling wires off. "Left wall." She jerked her head to a series of cabinets. "Third refrigerated cabinet. Qarian blood type 4 Ceta."

"I'll be right back." Bri said softly, stumbling a bit as she moved to the wall. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a set of bags marked appropriately. "Check me." She said as she carried them to Raan'ita who looked at her oddly. "I am not perfect!" Bri snapped. "I give you the wrong blood and you likely die anyway as weak as you are. The repairs are weak..." She warned Raan'ita as the quarian reached for the bags. "Don't strain." She held them close for the quarian to read the labels.

"You want a job?" Raan'ita asked softly as she scrutinized the bags. "These are right." She looked at the IV bags hanging nearby and winced. Bri hung the bags and connected them expertly. Then she looked at the tubes that ran into Raan'ita's arm before removing them all and connecting the new ones. The Collector's eyes went wide as she saw blood in other places. "Later, Bri." Raan'ita said quickly. "The guy who did it is dead."

"Right." Bri said flatly. She started the drip and then, only then, relaxed a bit. "Once you are more stable, I'll move you to a bed. But... We have a major problem." Raan'ita looked at the Collector and nodded.

"I heard Anya scream my name as I went unconscious." Raan'ita said softly. "Where is she?"

"Killing every salarian she sees." Bri said with a shudder. "She has gone berserk."

"Oh no." Raan'ita said, her face worried. "Not again!" She tried to sit up and sank back with a groan.

"Doctor." Bri said sharply. "Your aorta is healed, but you still have a _hole_ in you. Let me see if I can patch it somewhat..." She said as she laid her omni-tool close to Raan'ita and started it working to dispense medi-gel. Then she paused. One of the salarian bodies had moved! "What the?" Her omni-tool flared, a blade coming out as she stepped up to the slumped form. He was... She paused. He was bound hand and foot and bleeding from a thigh wound. Anya hadn't killed them all! "This one is alive." She said flatly. "Is he the one who hurt you?"

"No." Raan'ita said softly as she sank back in the chair. "He healed me when the other hurt me. I..." She shook her head. "He drugged me, but... He wasn't harsh. He... tried to be kind."

"Raan'ita." Bri said gently as she treated the unconscious salarian. "You are very weak. You need to rest."

"Anya." Raan'ita said stubbornly. "We need to stop Anya."

"From what Crado said, I don't know if anyone can." Bri said sadly. "She made him promise not to let her hurt any innocents."

"She _what_?" Raan'ita said sharply. "No..." She tried to rise again and fell back, gasping.

"Doctor, _don't move!_." Bri commanded as she finished tending the salarian and moved back to Raan'ita's side. "You are still hurt, badly."

"I know." Raan'ita said slowly. "But Anya _might_ be shocked out of her rage if she sees me. She thinks I am dead, and if I call her on the com, she will think its a STG trick. She has to physically see me!"

"And you are _not_ going to be mobile for some time." Bri retorted. "Moving you at _all_ may hurt you worse. I don't know how strong that repair is. I have never done it on a quarian before."

"What did you do?" Raan'ita asked carefully, her hand touching the medi-gel bandage on her chest.

"I don't know what it is." Bri admitted. "But I have always been able to...reform living tissue." Raan'ita stared at her and Bri shook her head. "Not a lot, I can't make limbs regrow, but something like that...?" She waved at Raan'ita's chest. "I _could_ do and I am glad I did."

"I am sorry for what my husband did to you, Bri." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "I should have known. I should have known how Anya would react. I don't blame her."

"Doctor." Bri said gently. "We have horrors in our pasts. I told Anya and I will tell you. I will not press charges."

"What?" Raan'ita stared at the Collector. "But he hurt you! He maimed you!"

"And beings like me killed his brother." Bri said sadly. "Vengeance solves nothing, doctor. All it does is cause the cycle of violence to expand."

"You..." Raani'ta paused and looked at the Collector as if seeing her for the first time. "You are a good person, Bri."

"Wasn't always." Bri said sadly. "But tending Anya woke something in me. Something I can't define but want to keep."

"You..." Raan'ita repeated and then froze and her voice turned awed. "_You_ saved Anya after she was shot on Sanctum."

"I did." Bri said sadly. "She had massive cranial damage. Harbinger demanded we take female biotics for study, so... we did. I kept her alive for the experiments, never knowing she was regaining her memories. I..." She shook her head. "I did horrible things to her. I didn't think she was sentient, Raan'ita, but they were still horrible. And then she started talking... Begging. Pleading." The Collector slumped. "Fighting."

"So the experiments she remembers. The cell. Her belly big..." Raan'ita said slowly.

"Yes." Bri said simply. "I did that. I hurt her."

"Does _she_ know?" Raan'ita asked softly.

"I told her as soon as I could." Bri said slowly. "I thought she would be angry, instead she just hugged me and told me it was the past. She forgave me." Bri shook her head. "I don't know if I will ever forgive myself. I was doing as I was told, but I did know what was happening."

"I don't know about Anya..." Raan'ita said slowly. But then she smiled. "But you just earned a _huge_ debt in my books, Bri." She reached out slowly and took the Collector's hand. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Well, what now?" Bri asked as she looked around the carnage filled medical bay.

"Tell me something, Bri." Raan'ita asked speculatively. "Why did the salarians come?"

"Anya thinks they plan to use this ship to deliver a bomb to Tuchanka." Bri said softly. "She thinks they built a machine like her father did. But this one, they won't try to use. Just set it in motion and let it loose."

"The Merciful Flight would be welcomed. We have worked with the krogan before. The salarians planned to use her as a trigger to wipe out the krogan." Raan'ita said softly. "I see. That is why she was screaming about genocide."

"Anya is stopping them, permanently from what I saw." Bri gulped. "And see..." Then her eyes narrowed and her hands came up, glowing. "Come out of there or I _will_ fry you where you are skulking!" Raan'ita jerked as a salarian who was small even for his diminutive species crawled out from under a nearby bed. His armor was scorched and pitted as if something had eaten bits of it. He was shaking in fear as he rose, his empty hands fluttering in his distress.

"Not another biotic! Please..." He begged. "Don't let her have me! She killed everybody. The captain, the sergeant, everyone... We surrendered!" He was gasping in fear and shock. "I dropped my gun like the captain told me to and she was going to kill me anyway!" Bri looked at Raan'ita and the quarian sighed.

"We need to end this."


	85. Chapter 85

The air of the corridor seemed to hesitate for a moment and then a large form in black and red armor appeared. The turian soldier raised his rifle, taking careful aim down the hall and then stopped.

"I... I can't do it..." Crado Solinus said softly as he lowered his rifle. His wife Anya walked away from him, oblivious to the fact that she had nearly had her head blown off. Oblivious to anything except what was in front of her, the ragged retreating forms of the salarians who had hijacked the medical ship Merciful Flight. "I'm sorry Anya." He said softly. "I promised you, but I can't do it. I can't kill you."

He hung his head as screams started again. Anya had reached the next group of salarians. What was left of the STG guys were trying to withdraw to the shuttle bays. But Anya was right on their heels, her steps mechanical, and her eyes were pits of madness. Whatever had happened to drive Anya over the edge had been bad. He knew Anya's strengths and weaknesses as well as he knew his own. He wondered what had set her off. He feared the answer almost as much as he feared what his wife was going to do when she woke up surrounded by corpses. Maybe his if he was stupid enough to get in front of her. He leaned against the corridor wall and closed his eyes. Maybe if he got her helmet off somehow? He knew that Anya had incredible reflexes, those had saved her life -and his- so many times. But the main thing was her black field of power. Anything that got too close that Anya didn't like fried. He had seen a couple of salarians try to stab her with omni-blades. That...hadn't gone so well for them.

"Crado!" A soft voice had him spinning in place, blanching, but Anya had finished her grisly work and moved on. Behind him... He smiled as he saw Raan'ita, but... He paused, confused. Raan'ita was in a wheelchair. It had an IV bag hanging from a pole on the side. He frankly stared, he had never seen Raanita out of her exo suit. Her face, yes. The rest of her? It looked like the only thing she was wearing was a blanket! It slipped a bit and he saw what for all the galaxy looked like a medi-gel covered bullet wound on her chest. But that wasn't possible. If she had been hit _there_, she wouldn't be alive. Raan'ita glared at him. "My eyes are up _here_, you lech." But she was smiling as she said it. He smiled back, she could always make him smile. She was wearing a filter mask.

"Raan'ita." Crado said with heartfelt thanks. "Thank the spirits. You okay?"

"Mostly. Thanks to Bri here..." Raan'ita nodded to her left. Crado look to the side and swore as he saw a salarian, but... What the hell? Bri was walking behind the salarian, holding a battered Avenger rifle very carefully on the lizard. The salarian as carrying a lot of medical looking stuff, so much so that he staggered. No... He was shaking in fear. "Private Frui here was kind enough to carry all the stuff that Bri insisted on bringing."

"What is a salarian doing here?" Crado snapped, his rifle coming back up. Then he paused as the salarian started babbling.

"Areyougoingtokillme?" The young sounding salarian said quickly. "Please_you_doit. Don'tlet_her_haveme. Shootme,don'tlether -them- tearmeapart! Shetorethemallapart! Shetorethemapart." He was speaking so fast it was hard to follow and Crado looked at Bri who sighed.

"He was apparently trying to surrender when Raan'ita was hit." Bri said with a shrug. "He saw what Anya did...and he hasn't been taking it well. She left a bit of a mess in the medical bay." Crado stared from the Collector to the salarian and winced.

"Anya is terrifying, but..." Crado shook his head.

"Heorderedmetohide..."" The private said, his tone abject. "Shewouldcome. 'Trap'hesaid. 'Onlyway'hesaid. Nocasualties. Hesaid'nocasualties'!" The salarian said quickly, his words blurring even faster together. Raan'ita frowned at him and nodded to Bri. "No!" He cried as Bri stepped close, but he couldn't move away with his arms laden and she deftly injected him with something. He gasped again and then relaxed a little. "Thank...you..." Now his words were slow. "Won't help for long. I am sorry." He was slumping. "I am sorry..."

"What happened?" Crado said sharply. "I mean... you didn't die." He said to Raan'ita who shook her head.

"It was close." Raan'ita said sadly. "I was drifting away and Bri here brought me back." There was no disguising the warmth in the quarian's voice.

"Were they _insane_?" Crado asked nobody in particular. "They had to _know_ how Anya was going to react."

"I don't think it was intentional. I don't know exactly what happened." Raan'ita admitted. "They were interrogating me, trying to get the ship's control codes. I didn't cooperate. They tried drugs and those didn't work quite right. So they tried...other methods." Crado stiffened, and his gaze landed on the salarian who seemed to wilt. "Crado." Raan'ita said sternly. "It's not his fault. He was following orders. And he wasn't the one who hurt me. That one is dead."

"So when Anya got to Medical..." Crado mused. "She found you being tortured." Raan'ita nodded and the turian took a deep breath and then blew it out. "That would make her very angry, but not drive her berserk. You were hit?"

"Bad." Raan'ita said with a wince as she touched her chest. "Someone shot at Anya and missed her, but hit me. Bri says it tore my upper aorta and I believe her. Nothing hurt, I just faded, very quickly."

"The aorta is the main fluid vessel, isn't it?" Crado asked, dubious. Raan'ita nodded and Crado shook his head. "Then how are you here and talking to me?" Raan'ita smiled and waved a slow hand at Bri who looked uncomfortable.

"Meet the reason Anya didn't die on Sanctum." Raan'ita said quietly. "I have no idea _how_ she did it, but I was still there, barely, when Bri arrived. She put me back together, we figured out what happened and here we are."

"She... put.. you... back... together." Crado said, his tone stunned. He tilted his head as he looked at Bri. "That is amazing." Wonder sounded in his voice now.

"I have always been able to do it." Bri said a bit sheepishly. "That is why Harbinger used me as a healer. That is why they called me as soon as your team exfiltrated on Sanctum. Anya was a mess, but her body was alive. We didn't know about the memory recorder. We thought she was brain dead. Raan'ita here was a little less of a mess." She said with a fond smile. "But you promised not to move." She said sourly as Raan'ita straightened in the chair.

"Bite me." Raan'ita said with an answering snap. "We have to stop Anya. I heard some when I was lucid. The salarians..."She nodded to the private who was doing his best to melt into the wall. "...were going to evac everyone but me and Anya before the ship went to Tuchanka. Many of them are supposed to have been laid out are in the hangar bay. The private here thinks they were going to be shuttled to another ship."

"Oh shit." Crado said softly. "The STG guys are retreating for the hangar bay and Anya..." He blanched.

"...is right on their heels. She won't even _see_ anyone besides her targets." Raan'ita said with a nod "Can we get in front of her?" Crado looked at her and she sighed. "Crado, I am the _only_ one who _might_ be able to get through to her. She watched me _die_, Crado. Or so she thinks. Please, Crado, we have to end this."

"Damn it, doc." Crado said with a scowl. "You get in front of her and she will kill you. And then she will kill _me_ when she wakes up." He slumped. "I tried to stop her, Raan'ita. I couldn't."

"We don't need to _kill_ her, Crado." Raan'ita said calmly. "We need to get her mask off. Even as angry as she is, the gas will sedate her." He looked at her and she nodded. "Yes, I recognized it. Right before an STG infiltrator hit me with a trank dart."

"And _how_ the _hell_ are we supposed to get her mask off?" Crado asked sourly. "Anyone who gets close gets fried."

"Anyone who is a _threat_ who gets close." Raan'ita corrected him with a sad smile. "I am not a threat. She likely won't even process me as a target unless I move. She is acting on instinct. We can use that."

"Doc..." Crado began but then sighed as Raan'ita glared at him. Arguing with her never helped. He shook his head. "Okay, okay, you will likely try it even if I say 'no'." He shook his head again as Raan'ita grinned. "Pushy females... I am drawing a blank on ideas, doc."

"Bait." A soft voice sounded from nearby and Crado had his gun up and aimed before the salarian who had deactivated his tactical cloak had finished appearing. But it wasn't moving and it was one he knew. Drolis shook his head slowly. He wore a filter mask, but no helmet. "We need to draw her away from the hangar bay." Something was...different about him. He was calmer, more assured. More... Crado jumped as the younger salarian gasped.

"Colonel _Drolis_?" The private asked, dumbfounded.

"Colonel?" A chorus of voices sounded as everyone looked at the salarian who had just appeared. Drolis, for his part, just sighed.

"_Thank_ you for blowing my cover into spacedust, private." Drolis said mildly, but then nodded to Crado. "I would have come sooner, but I was checking on Raan'ita's kids. They are fine. Well, asleep and in stasis. Cado'Nya will need a lot of help, but he will be okay."

"Are _you_ with _them_?" Crado asked softly, his rifle aimed and his finger on the trigger.

"No." Drolis said sharply. "Bunch of fucking idiots. I warned them. I warned them as soon as I knew Anya was back. I _warned_ those moronic dalatrosses that ticking off Anya -or Aria!- would be a bad idea. But no, Linron _has_ to try her stupidity _again_. When in doubt, kill krogan. Damn her." He shook his head. "And it is 'former colonel', not 'colonel'." He said mildly. "You are not the only one who has told you superiors the truth, 'Private' Crado." He said with a thin smile. Then he sighed. "Welcome to another fine episode of 'How can STG fuck up by the numbers?'."

"So when we found you on Tuchanka..." Crado said softly. "You were _not_ with the Blood Pack."

"No. Anya never really believed me." Drolis said with a smile. "The krogan didn't want anything to do with me. After a time with you all, I asked them to help me keep my cover intact. Didn't take much, just have them dislike me a little less. I explained and they... well... They liked the idea of thumbing their noses at the daltrosses. They were dubious, but came around. Frok and I had a long talk ..." He sighed. "I miss that big nut." He shook his head. "I _knew_ the dalatrosses were stupid. So blind. You know they wanted to eliminate the krogan and then uplift the Yagh?"

"What?" Crado asked, not lowering his rifle.

"Yeah." Drolis sighed. "Same old idiotic story. Use a tool to get rid of a problem, then discard it when it becomes inconvenient. Never thinking ahead, that is our dalatrosses." The private shook his head, but Drolis was having none of it. "I told them, boy." The older salarian said almost kindly. "I _told_ them that the Reapers were a threat. I was assigned to collate data on Sovereign, the Reaper that attacked the Citadel. But nothing made sense. So I started digging. I read all of Shepard's reports, all of T'Soni's warnings. And then I started asking questions."

"Aaaand..." Raan'ita spoke softly. "They didn't appreciate that, did they?"

"Nope." Drolis said with a scowl. "I made a big stink and when the Reapers showed up, instead of being patted on the back and listened to, I was sent to Tuchanka with orders to eliminate Mordin Solus."

"The doc who cured the genophage." Bri hissed. "You would have _killed_ him?"

"When I was the private's age?" Drolis asked softly. "Sure. But I am not anymore. I was there with a sniper rifle. I watched from a distance while Shepard charged that Reaper. And I thought _I_ was crazy..." He shook his head. "_That_ was something to see, Reaper versus Thresher Maw. Vids just don't do it justice. But then I saw someone else..." He bowed his head. "I know what my superiors would have wanted me to do, but I couldn't. I couldn't shoot Eve." His eyes through his helmet were far away now. "She was stumbling out of the Shroud facility, obviously hurt or disoriented. An easy target... but... I couldn't."

"When we found you, you were hurt." Crado said softly. "Nearly dead. That wasn't a lie."

"No it wasn't." Drolis agreed. "Eve was an easy target and a number of Reaper minions chased her. I made sure none got close." He said softly. "She got away and then they came after me."

"You _covered_ her?" Raan'ita asked softly. "But..."

"I wasn't planning ahead, doc. I know she saw me, saw someone shooting the Reapers after her anyway." Drolis said mildly. "I had failed my mission, and had been seen. I was a liability. I knew I was dead. Either the Reapers would get me or the STG would send someone like me after me. Then I was hit and... it blurs. Next thing I know, I woke up in your tender care." He nodded to Raan'ita. "Your bedside manner is... unique, doc." He smiled. "But we love you anyway."

"You scared me." Raan'ita said slowly. "I mean, you wouldn't tell us _anything_."

"I was still operating on STG rules. Need to know and all that." Droils said without apology. "I made up a story and stuck with it. STG figured out where I was fairly quickly, but either they didn't dare send anyone after me when I surrounded by you guys, had no one to send, or figured the Reapers would kill me."

"So..." Crado slowly lowered his rifle. "Does _Anya_ know who you are? Were? Whatever."

"Yeah." Drolis said softly with a wince. "She took me aside at one point, gave me some pointers on my cover." He shook his head. "Anya giving critiques is hard enough. Realizing I hadn't fooled her _at all_ was worse. And then how she always sees through my cloak." Crado leaned close and with a grin that his helmet hid, sniffed loudly. "Don't start!" Drolis snapped, peeved. "I _do not_ stink! Aria wouldn't stand for it!"

"You work for her." Raan'ita said softly.

"Yeah." Drolis said just as quietly. "When Anya... well..." He shook his head. "When the Collectors grabbed Anya, I was at a loss. Either the Crucible worked or we all died. And if we survived, my life wasn't worth spit on my own. You know she left messages for everyone in case she didn't come back from an mission." It wasn't a question, but Crado and Raan'ita nodded. "I read it. She told me to talk to Aria. I did. Aria offered me a job. Cleaning up scum on Omega wasn't the most stimulating of work, but it paid well. And STG left me alone."

"And now this." Crado mused.

"Yeah." Drolis said with a scowl. "We have to stop her soon, Crado. The entrance to the hangar bay is _packed_ with sleeping crew. I will pull her away-" Then he froze. "Oh shit!" Everyone spun to see a recognizable form appear nearby. Anya's eyes were blank as she raised her hands. "_Move!_" The older salarian screamed.

Drolis dove to the side, knocking Bri clear as the private stood in the middle of the hall, petrified. Crado stepped in between the private and his wife and the ball of green energy that she threw hit him.

Dimly he heard Raan'ita scream his name as he felt the biotic field start to eat away at his armor. Some of the energy passed the armor by and attacked his skin directly. He had been hit by a lot of things in his military career, but this seemed to hurt worse. He could still function though and stepped away from the others as Anya's hand came up again, this time... He braced himself but it did no good. He prayed he was far enough way as the ball of kinetic energy hit him and reacted badly with the other energy that had been corroding his armor. The explosion threw him into the wall and he slumped down it, stunned.

"Anya." Raan'ita's soft voice cut through. "Stop, please..." Raan'ita was begging. "Please don't do this, Anya. He was following orders. Don't kill him, Anya." Crado looked up to see his wife standing over the still form of the salarian private. The STG soldier still breathed, but was obviously hurt. Anya didn't look at Raan'ita. "Anya, _Please!_" Raan'ita begged louder. Suddenly, the turian soldier knew what to do. Everything stopped as Crado started to sing.

I danced in the morning when the world was young  
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun  
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth  
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Crado didn't dare move as his wife turned her head to look at him. He knew he was hurt, but he didn't care. He kept singing. The physical pain was the least of his hurts.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be  
I am the lord of the dance, said he  
And I lead you all, wherever you may be  
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

As he continued to sing, he heard Raan'ita chime in. Her weak contra-alto was warm and clean, matching his rough tenor.

I danced for the scribes and the Pharisees  
They wouldn't dance, they wouldn't follow me  
I danced for the fishermen James and John  
They came with me so the dance went on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be  
I am the lord of the dance, said he  
And I lead you all, wherever you may be  
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

He heard Bri start to sing as well. The Collector wasn't a good singer, but she wasn't awful either and Anya seemed paralyzed by the music. He heard Drolis chime in too.

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame  
The holy people said it was a shame  
They ripped, they stripped, they hung me high  
Left me there on the cross to die

Dance, dance, wherever you may be  
I am the lord of the dance, said he  
And I lead you all, wherever you may be  
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

Crado's heart leaped as Anya started to sing along! Her voice was slurred, but audible.

I danced on a Friday when the world turned black  
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back  
They buried my body, they thought I was gone  
But I am the dance, and the dance goes on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be  
I am the lord of the dance, said he  
And I lead you all, wherever you may be  
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

They cut me down and I leapt up high  
I am the life that will never, never die  
I'll live in you if you'll live in me  
I am the Lord of the dance, said he

Dance, dance, wherever you may be  
I am the lord of the dance, said he  
And I lead you all, wherever you may be  
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

The song ended and Crado stayed where he was. Then a soft, scared voiced sounded and he raised his head. Anya was staring at him, her eyes clear and her posture shocked as she looked at the slumped form of her husband.

"Crado...?" Anya was staring at him. "What...? What have I done?" She asked nobody, her voice turning terrified. "No. No... Not again..." She shook her head and stepped away quickly, slamming into the wall. She windmilled, flailing to keep her balance and failed, landing on her rump. She was crying hard enough to be heard easily as she slid away from him along the wall.

"Anya." Raan'ita's voice was soft. "It's okay. Easy..." Crado glanced at her as she wheeled the chair closer to Anya, but stopped as Anya looked at her. Anya froze on seeing the quarian.

"They..." Anya gasped. "They killed you. Raan'ita! _They killed you!_ _You didn't have a pulse!_" She shouted. "This is... I... No..." She shook her head, sliding away from the group along the wall.

"I got better." Raan'ita said gently. "Bri helped me. I am still hurt and I can't move very well. Will you let Bri help you?"

"No one can help me, Raan'ita." Anya said softly. "I am a monster. How many of my friends have I killed this time?" She asked, obviously dreading the answer.

"None." Raan'ita said kindly. "The only people you have killed were the people who hijacked my ship. I find I am not... overly concerned with them." She said dryly. Then she sobered. "I am worried about you."

"Crado..." Anya said slowly. "You promised me I wouldn't be a threat! Do it!" She demanded.

"I tried, Anya." Crado said sadly. "I couldn't do it."

"People will keep _trying_ to do this to me, Crado!" Anya said with a thin scream. "I am a weapon! It is _all I am! A killer!_"

"Not to us, Anya." Bri said quietly. Anya looked at the Collector and the human was shaking in reaction. Bri held out a hand. "We love you, Anya. Please, come back to us."

"Bri... I..." Anya stammered. "I can't... I am too far gone." She shook her head and slid along the wall as Bri took a step closer. "No! Stay back!" She cried and Bri stopped.

"You won't hurt me, Anya." Bri said calmly. "You are better than that. But I need you to do something for me." Anya looked at her and Bri nodded. "I need you to take off your mask."

"No..." Anya stammered. "I can't... the gas..." The gas would knock her out.

"Anya." Bri said. Her voice calm and gentle. "You are hurt." Anya stared at the Collector and then at herself and shuddered. The armor she wore was tattered and torn, burnt spots and bullet holes shone. The fights hadn't all been once sided, although Anya was still standing and her opponents for the most part were not. "Let me help."

"You can't, Bri." Anya said hugging herself tight as the Collector took another step and stopped. "It's not physical. It's inside my head. Inside my bloody DNA. You can't _fix_ that."

"I know." Bri said sadly as she took another step and stopped when Anya flinched. "I can't fix what is wrong inside your head, Anya. But I _can_ help you. If you let me. You are not alone, Anya."

"Bri..." Anya said sadly, recoiling again. "You can't help me. No one can. Drolis!" She snapped. "I heard your voice, singing! Where are you, Drolis?"

"Here boss." The salarian said, stepping into view, his hands empty.

"Shoot me, Drolis!" Anya said sharply. "Make it clean."

"I can't do that, boss." Drolis shook his head slowly. "Aria told me, and I quote 'Anything happens to her and I will flay you'. I don't think she was joking, although with Aria it's hard to tell sometimes. I don't want to find out." He smiled sadly. "You have friends in _odd_ places, boss."

"Please, Drolis...?" Anya begged. "Please..." The salarian shook his head and Bri stepped closer to Anya, but the human recoiled again and Bri stopped. "Stay away, Bri! Anya begged. "Please stay away!"

"My friend -someone who has offered to be my sister- is hurting." Bri said sadly. "I can't just stand by. Is this the right thing to do? Maybe not. But I don't care." She said gently. "Anya, we _can_ help you. We can. It will take time, but we _can_. But for us to help you, you have to take the first step. You have to want it."

"I am a monster, Bri." Anya protested.

"And deep down..." Bri said slowly. "Part of you likes that feeling, doesn't it? The freedom, the abandon, the...exhilaration..." She asked calmly. Crado and the others stared at her as Anya stiffened. She wasn't looking at Anya, no... She was staring at something only she could see."You see... I know that feeling, I know it well. Just because I am a healer doesn't mean I can't get angry. It doesn't mean I can't hate. Part of you enjoys it, revels in it. Part of you doesn't _want_ to get better." Anya stared at the Collector, than at her hands. She nodded, silent. "Anya..." Bri's voice turned incredibly gentle. "We can help you. Take off your mask. Sleep. No one will hurt you. No one will dare."

"The salarians..." Anya protested. She broke off as Drolis coughed.

"...tried to escape on shuttles that Obligatha caught with Oculi." The salarian said with a nod. "Admiral Tali'Zorah is taking them into custody now. She is on her way. I told her about the gas." He said quickly as Anya stiffened again. "Anya... Captain... It's okay."

"I don't know what to do." Anya's voice was childlike now. "I am scared."

"I know." Bri said quietly. "But we are here, Anya. You are okay. You will be okay. Sleep. Let us handle this."

"Need to..." Anya shook her head, still hugging herself. "I need to coordinate...With the quarians... I need to..."

"Anya." Bri's voice was still calm, but now it held a tinge of exasperation. "It's handled." She reached out slowly and then pulled Anya up and close, holding the woman as she sobbed. "Shhh, shhh..." She crooned. "Easy, Anya. Easy..."

"Don't let me hurt anyone else, Bri." Anya asked plaintively.

"I won't." The Collector said as she held Anya. "But you need to do this yourself. You need to take you mask off. You need to stop yourself, Anya. No one else can do it for you. You have to do it yourself."

"I..." Anya bowed her head, resting it on Bri's shoulders. Then she released her grip on herself, reached up and undid her mask. She dropped it, looked at everyone through red rimed eyes, the streaks of tears all down her face. Then, deliberately, she took a deep breath and collapsed into Bri's arms.

"Rest sister." Bri said sadly as Crado stepped, fear for Anya seeping through every pore.

"I didn't think she was going to do it." Crado said quietly as he took his wife's slumbering form from Bri.

"Neither did I. I was ready." Bri said with a smile as she held up a hand. In it a hypo gleamed. Everyone stared at her and she shrugged. "Didn't need to."

"You are just as crazy as the rest of us." Drolis said with a shudder that was only half feigned. "You are going to fit in just fine." Bri just smiled and started scanning Anya's still form with her omni-tool. Then Drolis stiffened. "Doc, call for you." He held out his omni-tool and an image of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy appeared over it.

"Raan'ita!" The other female quarian said gladly. Then she paused. "You know... you _told_ me you were _not_ going to be causing trouble anymore. And... You might want to stop flashing me." She said dryly. "My crew will talk."

"What can I say?" Raan'ita said with what shreds of dignity she had. The blanket had slipped and she pulled it back up. "It's a gift." She sighed. "Tali, we need some help. I think the ship is secure, but we could use some conscious people until we can get the knockout gas filtered or neutralized."

"Medical and security personnel are on the way." Tali said gently. "Is Captain Anya...?"

"She is unconscious." Crado said, holding his wife protectively. "Captain Crado here. Three human prisoners, two salarian. Lots of mess." He said with a grimace. Understatement.

"Casualties?" Tali asked, concerned. "Is Anya...?" She broke off.

"Hurt and unconscious." Crado repeated with a sigh. "We lost one, but the ship is ours." Lots left unsaid, but later for that.

"Well done, Captain." Tali said with feeling. "Marines are enroute. Hold tight, we have this."

"We are not going anywhere, Admiral." Crado said, nuzzling Anya's cheek. "I think we are done saving the galaxy for a while. I hope so anyway..."


	86. Chapter 86

Raan'ita vas Merciful Flight was not a morning person. Oh, she could get herself up and moving if she absolutely had to. Training with Anya's team during the war had taught her how to do a lot of things when she had to. But she never really felt right until her third cup of dextro friendly caffeine. So she was not surprised not to be all there when she woke. But... She paused. What was wrong? She wasn't in her bed, with her husband beside her. She was in what sounded like an Intensive Care Unit. The sounds were fairly distinctive to someone who had spent a great deal of time in it. She could hear the monitors humming along, tell many of the vital signs they showed just by their sounds. The patient was stable.

"Captain?" The voice from nearby was familiar. "You back with us?" LIpa. The voice was Lipa, a prothean who had joined her crew to learn medicine. Raan'ita smiled. Lipa was eager and learned _so fast_.

"Sort of." Raan'ita said slowly. "What...? Oh." She had been fading. Bri had wanted to put her under for surgery to repair the rest of the damage to her chest. Medi-gel didn't fix things, just covered wounds and anesthetized a bit to keep pain at bay. She had kept hammering to the troops that medi-gel _didn't_ fix things, like all tough and macho sorts, they figured that once the pain was gone, everything was okay. Right? Wrong. She knew better. _And_ she had been hit harder than ever before. Hard enough that Anya had... She froze. Anya! She jerked up, only to slam into something and sink back down with a groan. "What the?" She asked as she cracked her eyes. Something was just over her head, some kind of plastic thing? She stared at it and then blinked away the last of her muzziness and snarled "Whose idea was _this_?" She asked. Her and shoulders were encased in a plastic bubble. A shield of some kind? She had no idea what it was. "What _is_ this?" She demanded of the Prothean in the nurse's tunic who sat nearby.

"Doc." Lipa said with a scowl on her face. "It's a pressurized oxygen feed. Healer Bri had to repair one lung and we were not sure about the extent of the damage, so we decided to keep you on full. We had to clean you out thoroughly." Raan'ita stared at her and then back at the enclosure.

"I..." Raan'ita snickered a little and Lipa relaxed at her laugh. "I recognize it now. Never saw one from _this_ side." She forced herself to relax. "A lung?" She asked.

"The bullet entered your right side, tore through the top of your right lung, hit the aorta and exited out your back left side. It missed your spine by centimeters" Lipa shook her head. "Even seeing you... I can't believe she saved you."

"Neither can I." Raan'ita said quietly. "So... How long in the O2?"

"Healer Bri says another four hours." Lipa said apologetically. "You have been out for twenty."

"Twenty?" Raan'ita said with a sigh. "No wonder I feel off. Cado'Nya?" She asked, half fearful.

"He is in surgery now." Lipa said gently. "He is a tough kid. He will pull through."

"The interrogator brought him and his brother in. They saw me... and freaked." Raan'ita said slowly, a haze of fear and remembered pain clouding her words. "I think he was going to hurt them, to try and break me faster. Cado grabbed a gun from somewhere and the interrogator shot him. I... I think..." Raan'ita said softly, confused. "It's all blurry, indistinct."

"The drugs they gave you didn't work right." It wasn't a question, but Raan'ita nodded anyway as much as she could without slamming into the shield again. "They were levo based." Lipa said, worry in her voice. Raan'ita felt a chill flow through her.

"Then why am I not dead?" Raan'ita demanded. "Levo based proteins are poisonous to quarians, Lipa. Why am I not dead?" She repeated.

"They apparently did _some_ research. Used drugs that were not as powerful as they could have been and they used some serious immuno enhancers." Lipa said, taking Raan'ita's hand in her own. "We don't know what the drugs were all supposed to do. The interrogation ones we figured out quickly. The others..." She shrugged."We think they were trying to program you."

"They were." Raan'ita said softly. "Anya said I was supposed to take a shuttle to Tuchanka with Anya in the machine as a bomb? I wouldn't do that willingly. I don't... It was sub-harmonic. I could... almost hear... But..." She shook her head. "Didn't work right." She inhaled, worried. "I think... I..." She trailed off as Lipa smiled at her.

"One of the rachni came with some of Anya's people. We headed back to the station with our escort. Anya's people wanted to help out." Lipa said gently. "I am not sure which rachni, C-Flat Amethyst I think... I have a hard time telling them apart." The prothean said sheepishly. Raan'ita smiled at that, she did too. "She said you were clean of 'imposed errant notes', whatever that means." She said dubiously.

"They know more about how minds work than anyone else I have ever encountered." Raan'ita said softly. "If she said that, she is sure. Anya wouldn't have-" She froze. "Wait! Anya!" She raised her hands to the bubble over her head, looking or a release. She snarled as Lipa grabbed her hands. "Lipa, let _go!_ I have to help Anya!"

"Doctor, be calm. Madre is still asleep." Lipa said gently. "They didn't want to move her too far. She is..." Lipa swallowed and spoke with a husky voice. "She is so fragile... She looks so..." Lipa slumped in place. "Don't let them take her!" She begged Raan'ita who stared at the prothean as Lipa started to cry.

"Wait." Raan'ita said sharply. "What? Take her? Who?" She demanded. "The Council wouldn't! She _saved_ the ship!"

"Not the Council. The Alliance." Lipa said sadly. "They sent a team. Say they want to 'help her'." She actually snarled, a far cry from the gentle being she normally portrayed. Lipa was _not_ gentle by nature.

"The Alliance?" Raan'ita said, her tone stunned. "What the _hell_ could _they_ do that we can't?"

"They say they want to help, but they lie. I shook the leader doctor's hand when he came! I saw... They don't want to _help_ her!" Lipa snapped. "They want to _study_ her, replicate her abilities or her genetics!" Raan'ita inhaled sharply, but then her eyes went cold.

"Get them off the ship." Raan'ita said flatly. "Now. If Anya's people hear so much as a _whisper_ of this..."

"That is why I am here." Lipa said sadly. "I was too...overwrought. I screamed when I touched him. Everyone drew weapons. I wanted to kill them." She slumped. "Crado made me come sit with you. Well, him and Admiral Tali'Zorah. She is..." Lipa paused. "Remarkable."

"That she is." Raan'ita agreed, calming. "No one got shot I take it?"

"No." Lipa said softly. "Tali'Zorah and Crado deferred to _your_ judgment." Raan'ita looked at her and Lipa shrugged. "It's _your_ ship."

"Technically, if it was captured by the salarians and then by Anya's team, then it belongs to Anya as salvage or a prize." Raan'ita said with a smile. Then she frowned. "Or it belongs to the Alliance if she is incapacitated. I think..." She said, worried. "Interstellar law was never my thing in any field except medicine."

"They are sending a delegation to talk to you." Lipa said softly. "Apparently they don't want an incident." She snorted. "Another."

"When?" Raan'ita asked softly. Lipa looked at her and the quarian groaned. "They are waiting outside, aren't they?" Lipa nodded silently and Raan'ita sighed deeply. "Keelah..." Raan'ita swore. "Is it too much to hope that you could chuck them out the airlock?"

"I made them wait until you woke up naturally. They have been here for an hour. Specter Williams is with them." Lipa said by way of explanation. "She brought them. Apparently, Anya's old commander is here too."

"Hackett?" Raan'ita snapped. Then her eyes went cold and hard and Lipa recoiled a little. "Let them in." The quarian said softly. Lipa looked at her boss, shuddered a bit and then nodded. She hit her omni-tool and the door chimed. It flew open and a blue armored form shot through.

"Raan'ita!" Tali'Zorah vas Normandy's faceplate was off and she looked worried. She wore an armored exo suit. Odd that, on a medical ship. But then again, if Anya's people _had_ heard about the Alliance's plans for Anya... "You stupid boshtet, don't scare me like that!" The slightly younger quarian snapped, her gaze worried as she looked at her friend.

"Sorry, Admiral." Raan'ita said formally, but was taken aback when Tali grabbed her hand and pumped it.

"First I hear you try to kill yourself, _then_ I hear you ship is in trouble..." Tali said sharply. "_Then_ STG of all people start getting in my way. _Then_ I hear you were shot again and when I get here some of your decks look like a warzone." She sighed. "And now.. I am trying to _keep_ it from being another warzone."

"Tali, stay out of this." Raan'ita said quietly as a small group of people entered a bit more sedately than Tali had. "This has been a long time coming."

"No." Tali said simply. "What Anya's team did, during the war, was to _all_ our benefits. What can I do now, but support her when she needs it?"

"Admiral." Raan'ita said calmly. "When you hear what I am going to say, you will be very angry. I know I am. I do _not_ want the quarian people and the Alliance in a stare down, Admiral. Tempers will get short, guns will come out and people will die. Step back, please."

"It's not just us." Tali said quietly. "I have had inquiries from the krogan, asari, turians, some salarians, volus, elcor, hanar, even the batarian sect within the Alliance have asked me questions. Questions for which I do not have the answers. I stay." Her tone made it nonnegotiable.

"Stubborn girl." Raan'ita said fondly. She nodded to Spectre Williams but her eyes were on the older, scar faced human who had entered last. "Hackett." She said flatly. Everyone stiffened as she did _not_ say his former rank. Then again, it was a sign of respect and she had little for this man.

"I am here for Anya. We can help her." The former supreme commander of the Alliance military said without preamble. "She needs help."

"Yeah, she needs help. Just like before." Raan'ita said softly. "But you know what? I did some checking. A week. The base physicians suggested a week. Hell, I only suggested a week. What would a _week_ have cost you? Crado had the team! He led as well as Anya did. We needed her whole, we needed her sane. She needed the rest and _you didn't give it to her!_" This last was a shout. "_ I begged you not to do that to her!_"

Tali stared from her friend to Hackett and back. "What am I missing?" She asked softly. Raan'ita did not take her eyes off Hackett who hadn't moved. The human doctor who had come in with him moved a little away form Hackett and and Spectre Williams looked confused.

"During the war, on the planet Benning..." Raan'ita said slowly. "Anya went berserk. She took on an entire Cerberus force _alone_ and very nearly won. On. Her. Own." She bowed her head. "In doing so, she accidentally killed a teammate who tried to help her." Tali inhaled sharply but Raan'ita wasn't done. "When I got her, she was a broken, sobbing mess. All I could do was keep her calm and quiet. She needed time and care. I couldn't provide it, not in the middle of a warzone. I sent her to the Alliance. Ancestors forgive me, I sent her directly to _him_." She waved a hand at Hackett.

"I won't apologize, captain." Hackett said slowly. "We needed her."

"Yeah." Raan'ita said in a low, dangerous voice. "You needed her. Did the DNA samples you butchers took not work?" She asked the doctor who froze, looking at Hackett. "The signs are distinctive if you know what to look for. You were not able to 'enhance' any more like you did her, were you?"

"I.." The man actually gibbered. "I don't know what you are..." He broke off as Raan'ita screamed at him.

"_Don't you dare lie to me!_" Raan'ita screamed and then coughed. Lipa was at her side in an instant, holding her as she tried to suck in air and it hurt, but she didn't take her gaze off the doctor who wilted as Spectre Williams turned to look at him. Raan'ita took several deep breaths before she could speak again. When she did it rasped. "I could see it. I could see it as soon as she came back. C-Flat Viridian saw it, but she didn't understand it. She thought it was Anya's hate, and... in a way it was..." She mused.

"Doctor Raan'ita." Spectre Williams said slowly. "Anya went berserk again. The Alliance can help her."

"I am sure they can." Raan'ita said savagely. "It was what they wanted in the first place Isn't it, _Admiral_?" She spat the rank as an epithet at Hackett. "A super soldier berserker."

"What?" Williams asked, unsure.

"Think about it, Spectre." Raan'ita said in a softer tone. "Think about it rationally. You have a human biotic soldier, one whose abilities are beyond human norms. Far beyond. What is _any_ military worth its pay going to do with a weapon that _works_?" She asked quietly. Williams stared at the bedridden quarian for a moment and then blanched.

"Replicate it." Spectre Williams looked as if she had swallowed a lemon. "Anya?" The quarian in the bed nodded a little.

"After Benning, I was going through the medical files. Her suit's onboard telemetry... Trying to find out what happened and why. She had none of the classic symptoms of stress. She was so tightly controlled." Raan'ita said softly. "I found an odd substance in her suit's buffers. I couldn't identify it. When I queried Alliance HQ, I was told it was 'classified'. I checked. She didn't have it in her system before she dropped on Benning, she did after." The human doctor sniffed and spoke.

"Under stress, the human body produces some very odd..." The doctor froze in his lecture as Raan'ita spoke in an almost conversational tone.

"Lipa, if he speaks again, throw him into the wall until he shuts up." The quarian said quietly and Lipa nodded. "Don't kill him." It was an order. "I bet he was involved. Wasn't he, Hackett?"

"I can't talk about that." Hackett said quietly. "I am here for Anya."

"After what you did to her _last_ time, there is no way in _hell_ I am giving her to you." Raan'ita snapped. "She needed rest and care, and what did she get? Another mission. One where she, coincidentally, went berserk again. Odd that." Tali and Spectre Williams were _both_ looking at Hackett who looked uncomfortable. Lipa's face was downright unfriendly. "She spent three _days_ in the hospital after, although when according to official _Alliance medical files_, she was in perfect health! What were you looking for, Hackett? A trigger?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Hackett said simply. "We want to help her. She lost it again. She could have killed everyone on this ship."

"Yeah, she could have." Raan'ita said in a speculative tone. "But she didn't." She inhaled "That is why you want her, isn't it? To find out _why_ she didn't? To poke and prod and dissect _my friend_ until you figure out _why_ your wonder weapon failed! Isn't it? Am I right?"

"I..." The human doctor shook his head as he started to speak, but Lipa moved forward and he broke off. Hackett actually snarled as the doctor opened his mouth and the man wisely shut it.

"Shut up, doctor." Hackett snapped. "You have done enough. I have halfway tempted to tell you to throw him out the _airlock_, instead of into the wall." He nodded to Raan'ita. "You have it almost right."

"Admiral!" The doctor protested. "We are so..." He screamed as Lipa grabbed him by the arm and without effort slammed him face first into the wall. He slid to the floor, sobbing and clutching his face.

"Thank you." Hackett said soberly. "You are half right, Captain Raan'ita." The former human commander said with a sigh. "I have done a lot in my life, Captain. Some good, some bad, some that will haunt my dreams to my dying day. This is firmly in the last category. Anya deserved better."

"She wasn't the same when she came back after meeting the rachni, although she didn't talk about it." Raan'ita said softly. "She just about mauled Crado the moment she saw him. Illia thought it was C-Flat Viridian and her influence, but it wasn't completely, was it?"

"No." Hackett replied in an even tone. "You are right." He agreed. "We tried to replicate what Anya could do. Basically from the moment we knew she was a biotic, we knew she was exceptional, far beyond even biotic human norms. We tried to figure out how and why. We failed. So we looked for other avenues. We asked for her cooperation and we got it."

"She volunteered?" Raan'ita said, horrified. "There is no _way_ she knew..."

"There was no way she could have known what would happen." Hackett said sadly. "None of us knew what we were doing. After the First Contact War, the Alliance was playing catch up in so many ways. Unlike Cerberus, we tried to stay within the laws of the Citadel Conventions. We did. Mostly."

"What did you do to her?" Raan'ita's tone turned flat.

"We didn't _change_ anything." Hackett said with a shudder. "It's not illegal to scrutinize genes, yes?" He looked at Spectre Williams who looked thunderous but nodded. "It took years for us to figure out she had been genetically modified in vitro far more than allowed." He shrugged. "And by then, she was an exceptional soldier, an N7. We needed her even before the war. And I was..." He slumped. "I was personally promised it wouldn't hurt her."

"Admiral!" The doctor protested. "That information is highly classified and-" He broke off and screamed again as Lipa slammed him into the wall again. _This_ time, he slumped unconscious.

"Thank you, young lady." Hackett said with feeling. Lipa nodded, but her eyes were still flashing. "As I was saying, we were trying to figure out _how_ she could do what she did. Then some bright boy came up with the idea to enhance her abilities."

"Enhance?" Raan'ita stared at the man. "How-?" She broke off and shook her head. Horrified. "No... No, you _didn't!_" She exclaimed.

"We did. We knew the Reapers were coming." Hackett said soberly. "The leaders ordered me to pursue the research, and to keep it quiet. We told her it was a standard check up. She came in, was sedated and they put her under an EM pulsar, trying to stimulate the areas off the brain that affect biotic ability." It was documented that EM fields could stimulate cellular growth, or retard it.

"You boshtet..." This from Tali, whose face was pale.

"Admiral Tali'Zorah..." Hacket said, suddenly looking old and tired. "We knew the Reapers were coming. We didn't know _when_. And then they hit and everything went to hell and a hand basket." The Admiral sighed. "Anya had just undergone the first enhancement procedure at Arcturus HQ and seemed to have no ill effects. She was just awake when the station was hit. She got out. Many, many others didn't. We... We didn't think it had any effect." He admitted. "She was so good at what she did, so controlled..." He shook his head. "You know she nearly blew up part of Purgatory when she _did_ let loose?"

"I only found out about that a little while ago." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "So... Benning?"

"Yeah." Hackett said with a nod. "She lost it. Afterwards, the substance you found? Her brain created it. Still does." Raan'ita's eyes went wide and Hackett nodded. "We couldn't duplicate it. Can't duplicate it. We tried. We tried making her angry under controlled circumstances and it failed miserably. She was too controlled for her own good. After seeing what her family did to her and hearing some of what happen during her childhood..." Hackett said with a grimace. "I am not surprised. I knew some of it, but not all. None of us had a clue they were Cerberus. As angry as you are with me -with reason I might add- you cannot be as disgusted as I am with myself for letting them 'poke and prod' her as you put it. For letting them take a great soldier and _destroy_ her in the name of trying to duplicate what she could do. When I heard about Benning... I knew... It was our fault."

"So you sent her to C-Flat Viridian?" Raan'ita asked, dazed by all this.

"The rachni are _very_ good with mental problems." Hackett said sadly. "And she needed the help. I didn't expect her to encounter Cerberus again so soon. I thought she would meet the rachni, talk to her..." He sighed. "I didn't expect what happened." Regret sang in his tone. "I didn't expect her to get so badly hurt. And then the docs... Stupid fricking docs..." He said with feeling.

"That is why she was in the hospital for so long." Raan'ita said softly. "She was healed."

"They _did_ want to find out how the rachni had healed her." Hackett said soberly. "But they _also_ wanted to find out why she hadn't gone berserk again. She should have."

"She did." Raan'ita said softly. "Not as bad as Benning, but she scared C-Flat Viridian. Scared the rachni badly. It wasn't even directed at C-Flat Viridian and she was _terrified_ by Anya." Her tone softened to regret. "That changed. Even I could tell, the moment I met C-Flat Viridian, that she loved Anya as much or more than I did."

"Yeah." Hackett nodded. "So now... This." He waved to indicate the ship. "This is public. Everyone knows this ship was attacked. Everyone knows Anya's team responded and took the ship back. When people find out it was STG... And what _really_ stopped them..." He sighed. "It's gonna be a shitstorm."

"So why are you here, Admiral?" Spectre Williams asked.

"Because I owe Anya more than I can ever repay." Hackett said calmly. "Hell, the entire _Alliance_ owes her more than it can ever repay. This is going to come out. It's too good a story to stay covered up for long. Too lurid. The brass want me to bring her back. To 'help' her." He put air quotes around the word 'help'. "I thought you are right Captain Raan'ita even before your prothean friend touched the doctor there and confirmed my suspicions. I didn't think they wanted to help her, I thought they wanted to study her. Try to duplicate it. Now I know it's the truth and I am stuck." Now he sounded sick. "She deserves better than to spend the rest of her life in a lab, being experimented on."

"Over my dead body." Raan'ita said softly. Lipa, Tali and Spectre Williams all nodded in support.

"Good." Hackett said with a nod. "Then I can tell the Alliance brass you won't give her up?" He asked. Raan'ita nodded and he smiled. "Good." Then his face fell. "_Can_ you help her?"

"I take it asking for records of what you idiots did to her is not going to work?" Raan'ita asked softly. "That might help."

"Well..." Hackett had a sly grin on his face now. "I _was_ ordered to sequester all the data on that project. It's on a datapad. And..." He shrugged. "I seem to have lost it." He held out a hand behind his back and Spectre Williams looked at him or a moment before reaching out and took a small object from it. Everyone was staring at him and he shrugged. "I am going to get in a great deal of trouble for losing such highly classified information, but hey, the pad is encrypted." He shrugged. "I am not perfect. And it's not like someone here could use _Spectre_ codes to decrypt it or anything..." Raan'ita surprised herself with a laugh but then the old human sobered. "I need to know, doctor. _Can_ you help Anya?" His face shone with sadness and a need for reassurance.

"I don't know, Hackett." Raan'ita said honestly. "I just don't know. There are so many unknowns here."

"I hope you can." Hackett said softly. "And... when she wakes up... Tell her from me, 'I am sorry'. It won't change anything. All it will do is make me feel a little better about what I did. The horrid thing is that even now, I probably wouldn't do anything different." He shook his head and the others all stared at him. "It was wrong, but... We needed her. We needed more _like_ her."

"You know that is what Cerberus did." Tali said in the silence that fell. "Took people against their will, indoctrinated them, implanted them, and then turned them loose as cannon fodder." It wasn't a question.

"I know." Hackett said softly. "And heaven help me, I would do it again. Ask Anya sometime about what happens when the devil drives." He shook his head again. "There were not any good choices. Only bad and worse. I am glad she survived and I hope and pray she finds happiness. I wish I could have given her the R&R you asked for her, doctor. I thought the rachni could help."

"She did." Raan'ita said quietly. "Anya was much calmer when she came back. Then she and Crado... What is the human term? 'Hooked up'?" Hackett smiled and nodded. Raan'ita narrowed her eyes. "I haven't forgiven you. I don't know if I can. I won't ever forget it." She said flatly.

"I know." Hackett said with a nod. "Just...take care of her, please. The Council has taken possession of all of your prisoners, including what is left of Wilson-Fuentes." Raan'ita looked at him and he chuckled evilly. "You reap what you sow, doctor. He sowed hate, it bite him on the ass. When the Leviathans died -_if_ they all did, we are not sure- the backlash tore his mind apart. The gas didn't affect him because every time he did fall asleep, the pain in his head woke him up again. He is not quite a vegetable, but close. They say he _might_ be able to be potty trained sometime. I am not holding my breath."

"Damn." Raan'ita said mildly. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." She glared at Hackett and he nodded.

"I couldn't be nice, Captain." Hackett said softly. "I was dealing with the extinction of the human race, of all life in the galaxy for all I knew. I owe Anya an apology but I _would_ do the same again."

"And I refuse to trust you ever again. Get off my ship." Raan'ita said quietly. "And take _that_..." She indicated the now moaning slumped human doctor. "...with you before he gets lynched. I have _enough_ of a mess to clean up already." Hackett nodded to her, pulled the incoherent doctor up by the arm and left the room. Only after the door had hissed closed did Raan'ita slump back on the bed. "Keelah, what a mess."

"I didn't know." Williams said softly, clutching the datapad.

"They wouldn't have told you." Raan'ita said soberly. "Can you...?" She nodded to the pad and Williams nodded. "Check it please? I know the Alliance has booby traps for sensitive data, and like I say, I don't trust that man."

"_Can_ you help Anya, Raan'ita?" Williams asked softly. "Even before this information... I worried about her."

"Me too. Like I told him, Spectre Williams..." Raan'ita said sadly. "I don't know. But we _can_ do, we will. We will not leave her to face this alone." The door hissed open and an irate Collector stood there, glaring at her. Raan'ita smiled. "Hello Bri. Surgery done?"

"Yes." Bri said flatly. "You need more sleep. You have stressed yourself enough for one day."

"Look." Raan'ita snapped. "I feel..." Something changed and she turned to stare at Lipa who had just adjusted her IV. "You...?" She smiled as lethargy seeped into her. "Never mind." She said as she closed her eyes. She felt rather than saw Tali come up to squeeze her hand gently. She nodded off to Lipa singing something softly. Something about 'Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow...'


	87. Chapter 87

"Any change?" A gentle voice asked and Crado jerked. He had fallen asleep! He looked up into concerned eyes. Nira Gradas was stuck in her chair, but it didn't diminish her fiery spirit any. If anything, it had concentrated it. Most of the time. "Crado?" She asked, concerned.

The male turian soldier looked to where his wife still slept, her face drawn with fear and pain that even the deepest of sleep couldn't erase completely. The tubes the docs had put in to keep her hydrated, to help cleanse her body and to carry away wastes didn't help matters.

"No." He said sadly. "They don't know if she _will_ wake up, Nira. Even Obligatha can't get her to respond. She is so strong, but... There are limits. She went right by them." He reached out slowly and smoothed his wife's short hair. She didn't react.

"I know." Nira said sadly. "We all admired her and we were all scared shitless of her. Even before..." She broke off with a swallow. "Even before we found out what the Alliance did to her, she scared me."

"Me too." Crado admitted softly. "She always did. When I first met her, she came out of the night, blew a pair of cannibals off me and screamed at me until I got off my rear end and followed her. Part of why I followed was respect, part was fear. More respect than fear, but... It was there."

"And then the prune juice?" Nira asked slyly. Crado looked at her and she smirked. "I wasn't with you all until later but I heard about it."

"I deserved it." Crado said with a sigh. "Made a hell of a mess, hurt a bunch of people and cost Anya a _lot_ of her oney..." He paused as Nira inhaled sharply. "You didn't hear? She paid for the damage herself." He smiled a bit wistfully at Anya's still form. "We were going to. I mean, it was a team thing. I started it, the rest of the team came in when those idiot marines jumped on me."

"I always wondered what started it." Nira said softly.

"One of the marines made a comment about having sex with Anya. Compared her to a varren." Crado said with a sigh. "This was just after Benning. We were all worried about her. I... I had flirted with her." The male turian said slowly. "Most the guys and some of the girls did. It wasn't serious, more a stress reliever. A source of laughter. Maybe a male thing? I don't know. But she was my commander and I admired her. I didn't realize until _after_ the prune juice what my real feelings were. I had loved her... But I hadn't wanted to admit it." He stroked Anya's still hand gently. "Lorinina sat me down and had a long talk with me." He said with a sick look as Nira grinned. "Don't ask... Just... don't..." He begged.

"And then?" Nira asked, letting the matter slide. "I heard she ambushed you when you went to apologize, but... What is this about _her_ paying?"

"I went to the bar to find out how much I owed." Crado said softly. "They were...unhappy with me." He said with a sigh. "Don't blame them. I mean... Those marines didn't _mean_ anything. It was just their way of blowing off steam. It was going to wind up a brawl when they started making comments about the Legion, but..." He shook his head.

"You Amiger nuts." Nira said with a soft smile. "Gotta love you. Certainly don't want to fight you." She said with a nod.

"Yeah." Crado nodded, lost in memory. "It was the usual rivalry. Amiger versus fleet marines. A brawl was pretty much a given. No biggie. Then that idiot said he would like to show Anya a good time the way a varren would do it." Crado said sadly. Nira's eyes went wide and then cold. Crado nodded. "He was trying to start a fight, but he had no idea. None." Crado said softly. "I wasn't brawling when I went for him. I wanted him _dead_. And I nearly succeeded. He was medevaced in critical condition with a spinal fracture. They saved him."

"I would have done more than that." Nira said softly, her tone harsh. "I know about rivalries. I know how stupid grunts can be, but... I..." She shook her head and broke off.

"Nira?" Crado asked, concerned. "What?"

"I was Cabal." Nira said softly. "I had everything thrown at me you Amiger did and more. I was a weirdo, a freak. Even before I manifested my biotics, I was...different. I tried. I tried to fit in, and I couldn't." Crado nodded soberly. "You and the team... You _welcomed_ me. Even the _Cabal_ didn't _welcome_ me. They used me, but I was an asset. A tool, a thing. No more. They were polite, but... always distant. With you all, I felt alive for the first time in my life. Anya made me feel... good about myself." The female turian slumped. "Being a biotic didn't mean I was a freak. It meant I was a strength for the team. I was needed."

"Who the _hell_ was running your Cabal? What kind of an idiot...?" Crado asked, incredulous. "No." He shook his head. "No, don't tell me. I doubt you can anyway." Cabal teams lived and breathed secrecy. Nira shook her head silently, her head bowed. The male turian reached out and put a finger under Nira's jaw to gently incline her head up until she looked him in the eyes. "You don't feel that way now, do you?" He asked gently.

"No." Nira said fondly. "You all made me welcome. You all made me feel special. Suddenly, I _wasn't_ the most powerful being in the group. I wasn't the most dangerous in the group. I wasn't the scariest in the group. At first, it was weird. I had been all three for some time in my Cabal. But Anya mothered us. All of the biotics, she mothered and pestered in equal measure. She made me work harder than I ever had, training, working, learning. I hated her at first for being so good. And then..." She swallowed heavily.

"The Brute took your legs." Crado said sadly. Nira nodded and Crado reached out for her. "Come here." He said kindly. She rolled her chair close to where he sat and she did not react as he embraced her. "We became more than a team, more than a squad. We became much, much more. I doubt Anya intended it at first. But it worked, it made us more than the sum of our parts. You joined our family, Nira and you stuck it out until you were hurt. You will _always_ be a member of our family." Nira made a soft noise of dismay, but Crado did not release her. "A very odd, very exasperating family. But a family. Now and always, if you need a shoulder to cry on, a hand to lean on, or a place to sleep, you have but to call." Nira shook her head and retreated. This time, Crado let her.

"I..." Nira stammered. "I don't know what to say."

"Why didn't you come to the party the chief threw when Anya was found?" Crado asked, his voice still gentle. "The chair?"

"Among other things." Nira said sadly. "I wasn't sure how I would react. My clan was all dead, I..." She slumped. "I was ready to die when Raan'ita found me in that hospital. If General Vakarian hadn't stopped by every so often, I think I would have long before." Crado looked at her and she jerked. "What?"

"Anya told me she offered to stand as matriarch for you." Crado said in a no nonsense tone. "Have you talked to Garrus?"

"Crado." Nira said sharply. "When Raan'ita came back from the station with her kids, she was sobbing and incoherent. It took two _hours_ for us to calm her down enough to find out _why_. Then we had to figure out what happened and then we were attacked..." She broke off as he raised a hand. He shook his head and she bowed hers. "No." She said softly.

"Nira, Nira..." Crado groaned. "It won't work if you don't even _try_." He said in a tired voice.

"I..." Nira sighed. "I don't know what to say. I mean, he is a hero and I... I..." She broke off as Crado slapped her gently. "Wha-?"

"You call yourself a cripple and I will hit you for real." Crado said, his tone serious. "_None_ of us knew what happened to you, Nira. _None_ of us." Was he about to cry? "If you had just _said_ something... anything..."

"I..." Nira's voice was very small now. "I didn't want to bother..." She was shaking, fighting back tears.

"Oh Nira." Crado said fondly. He pulled her close again. She gave up and wept into his shoulder. "It's all right. It's all right..." He soothed her. "You disappeared so thoroughly _none_ of us knew what happened to you. Raan'ita didn't say anything either. You shocked the _hell_ out of me when you came up to me in the mess hall. I didn't know." Crado said sadly, holding the now freely crying female turian. "But now I do. We are going to take care of you."

"But..." Nira said, shaking her head, but not pulling away.

"No 'but's, Nira." Crado said sternly. "And no vanishing. We are not going to let you." He said holding her at arm's length. "Marriage is _not_ something for you to jump into. You do not know Garrus except by reputation and he does not know you. You have no clan left to do this for you, so..." He smiled and she stared as his smile changed to a grin. "The Solinus Clan assumes responsibility for you. We will negotiate with the Vakarian clan for you." Nira's eyes went wide and she would have protested, but Crado held up a hand. "Now before you say _anything_, Anya wanted it, but cleared it with all of us. You can argue with me, I _do not_ recommend you argue with the others. Portia in particular..." Crado shuddered.

"But... I have nothing..." Nira said, dazed. "What could I offer someone like General Garrus Vakarian?"

"I don't know." Crado admitted, but then he smiled again. "An ear? A smile? A swift hand to the crest or boot to the butt when he needs it? You never had a problem talking back to him before." Nira winced. She had been... loud on occasion.

"But I was Cabal." Nira said softly. "Now I am just a..." She broke off as Crado raised a hand as if to slap her again. "You wouldn't..."

"Try me." Crado's gaze was steady and Nira looked away. "You are only a cripple if you _believe_ you are one, Nira." He said calmly. "I was only a drunk because I _believed_ I had to be one. That I was worthless. That I had failed my love. I was wrong. So are you." Nira stared at him and then burst into tears again. "There, there, Nira... It's okay." Crado said, easing her.

"Oh Crado..." Nira asked after a moment of savoring his embrace. Then she retreated again. "You are so nice to me. You always were. You are more brotherly than my own brothers ever were." She sighed. "What do I do?"

"Your boss has given you a leave of absence." Crado said with a smile. "On...um... certain peoples' strong advice." He smiled at her expression. "You are going to go to the station and let us take care of you." Nira shook her head but he kept speaking. "You can fight it. You can beg, moan, whine, cry, scream... It won't do any good. I do _not_ recommend you hit anyone." He paused. "You heard about Granli." It wasn't a question.

"I think most of the Hierarchy heard about Granli." Nira said with a smile. Then she nodded. "I am happy for you."

"Yeah... Well..." Crado squirmed a bit. "I had forgotten, you know? Having _two_ insanely powerful females in my life is a bit intense at times."

"My heart bleeds." Nira said dryly.

"Oh..." Crado shook his head. "You will see. I think C-Flat Amethyst wanted to see you. They want to see if anything can be done with your legs. Their medical tech has to be seen to be believed." Nira went rigid but he continued as if he hadn't seen her shock. "But first... You need some down time. Some calm time. Some time to think." Nira was shaking her head and he looked at her. "There is no glory in pointless defeat, Nira. You get stubborn and they _will_ roll right over you." He warned. "You won't even see it coming. Before you know it, you will be sitting at a table being spoon fed." He said with a sigh. "Don't fight." He cautioned.

"Like nurses...?" Nira asked, worried. The nurses that had been the first people she had seen on waking had been incredible people. They had taken her often angry, depressed or just moody states as a challenge. Every time she had snarled at them, they had become more cheerful, brighter. Determined to have the last word, to make her smile no matter the cost. They had succeeded on more than on occasion and even now, her face quirked a bit in memory.

"Yeah." Crado said with a shiver. "Granli was a pain in the tail _before_ she was turned into a marauder and now? She doesn't sleep!" He said in mock horror. "You will _not_ win an endurance contest with her."

"I guess I should make a tactical retreat then." Nira said with a sigh. "What do I do?" Crado nodded and hit his omni-tool. A moment later the door hissed open and two humans walked in. One old, one young. Both had dark hair and brown eyes.

"Jennifer, Portia?" Crado said with a nod. "Everything okay on station?"

"Yeah." The young one who had to be Portia said with a sigh. "No change?" She asked, half begging.

"I am sorry, Portia. The rachni tried." Crado said with a matching sigh. "They say she isn't comatose, just deeply asleep. But she refuses to wake up. They _could_ force her to..." He said dubiously.

"But that would likely hurt her. Maybe badly." The older human female, Jennifer said with a shrug. "Get off your tail, you lazy good for nothing brat!" She said sharply at the sleeping woman but there was no response. Nira jumped at her tone, but Jennifer just shrugged again. "Worth a try. Portia?" Nira stared as Portia stepped up to the bed and bent down, kissing Anya's cheek.

"Come back to us, Anya. Please?" The little girl begged. "I want my sister/mother back." But there was no response. Portia slumped, tears starting to fall. She clambered up on the bed and hugged Anya. "Please?" She begged.

"Come away, Portia." Crado said gently, taking her in gentle hands and pulling her onto his lap. She gave a soft cry and embraced him, sobbing. "She can't hear any of us. We have to face facts, Portia. She may not wake up." The admission hurt him badly.

"No." Portia said quietly, but firmly. "Not after all of that. No." She shook her head. "I will _not_ let her just fade away. Not after everything she has done, everything that was done to her. Can I... stay...?" She asked Crado who shook his head.

"Anya asked us to take care of Nira, Portia." He nodded to the chairbound turian who stared from one to another. "I will stay with Anya. I will keep everyone updated until we get her home." Nira inhaled and Crado nodded. "She and Granli talked with us all... We know more than many how fragile life can be. She said if she was going to die... She would prefer to die in her bed, at home. Surrounded by her loved ones. Not in a hospital, surrounded by uncaring machinery."

"Crado..." Nira stammered. "I... I can't intrude..."

"It's not an intrusion." Jennifer said, coming close to where Nira sat. "It was Anya's wish. You have no family left. So... We stand for them." She said, laying a gentle hand on the female turian's arm. "For you."

"I..." Nira was shaking her head but then her eyes were pulled to Crado who looked resigned. "Anya...said...?" Nira repeated the soft words.

"Yeah." Portia said quietly, giving Crado another hug. She moved back to the bed, leaned over and kissed Anya's cheek again before turning and striding to where Jennifer and Nira waited. She looked at Nira expectantly and Nira groaned softly.

"I am doomed, aren't I?" She asked whimsically. Crado, Jennifer and Portia all nodded in unison. She sighed deeply and then paused. "Crado? I... I can't pay for my lodging..." Crado looked at her with an odd expression and she stiffened. "What?"

"You have funds, girl." Crado said softly. "You never touched the fund Tualo set up." Nira would have spoken, but Crado shook his head and waved a hand. "Uh, uh... Let me finish. Anya asked _us_ to take care of you. That _includes_ room, board, clothing..." Nira stiffened and he smiled. "It's _not_ going to bankrupt us. Anya was sneaky in a _lot_ of ways. Do you know _why_ she poured that prune juice down my throat? It wasn't the damage, the injuries, or even the money she paid."

"Then... what?" Nira asked, confused by the apparent change in subject. "It was what? A quarter million credits worth of repairs?"

"243,403 credits worth of damages." Crado confirmed. "That includes medical care for the injured, court fees, C-sec fines and property damage. She paid it out of pocket, didn't touch the team funds." Nira shook her head, stunned.

"But..." The female turian paused. "That wasn't the reason for the prune juice?" She asked, incredulous.

"I was still drunk." Crado said softly. "I had drunk about two bottles of a dextro version of something humans call mead. Fermented honey, very strong and I could drink it." Jennifer stared at him and shuddered dramatically. Crado nodded. "I went into her office, demanded to help pay for it." Jennifer winced and Crado nodded. "I insulted her without even realizing it. I was too drunk still to realize anything. She knocked me on my ass, poured that crap down my throat and held me there until I swallowed. Then I barfed. She sat there with me until I had...expelled everything I had drunk." He looked away and all three females froze as they saw him start to cry. "Then she explained that _she_ would have done a _lot_ worse if someone had said the same about _me_. Then she kissed me."

"But... I..." Nira stammered again as Crado rose from his seat and stepped to her side, kneeling down so he was on eye level with her.

"She loved us all, Nira." Crado said softly. "Every. Last. One." He took the stunned turian female's hands in his own. "Every loss hurt her. Even the ones she couldn't stand hurt her when they died, Nira. We were the _only_ family she had. She had been saving, most soldiers do. Many of the team wondered _how_ she got hold of the odd arsenal she had aboard the ship? Did you?" Nira nodded, obviously confused. "She _bought_ it, with _her_ private funds from the black market." Nira's eyes went wide. Anya's arsenal had been...extensive. "To give _us_ a better chance. She had a _lot_ of money, Nira and she spent a _lot_ of that money to give us a chance."

"I don't understand." Nira said slowly. "How could she have that much money?"

"She saved almost every credit she earned while she was a regular soldier." Crado said gently. "Then her missions as an N7 had double hazard pay. She invested carefully. She was always as cautious as she could be. When she...died..." Crado swallowed. "She left strict instructions that the remainder be used to help the team. Tualo took those funds when he set up the fund he did, incorporated them. He...disincoroprated it when she was found. It's been gathering interest since then. Nira..." He said earnestly. "Tualo's fund is _there_ to _help_ people like you. But... Right now, your care is _our_ concern." Crado said softly. "Are you going to insult us by telling us you _have_ to pay your own way?" Crado asked, a small smile curving his face. "I know where I can get some prune juice."

It was too much. Nira broke down and cried. Crado put his arms around her. Jennifer and Portia joined the embrace. Crado sighed as he realized she wasn't going to be able to stop.

"Jennifer?" He asked.

"I'll get her home, fed and bedded down." Jennifer promised. She keyed her omni-tool to take remote control of Nira's chair as Portia moved to sit in the turian's lap, still holding the sobbing older female.

"Be gentle." Crado said sadly. "She has been through a hell of her own making." Jennifer nodded and left the room, guiding Nira's chair. The turian female likely didn't even realize. Crado sat back in his chair and sighed deeply. "Well, Anya. One problem under control, for now." He laid a hand on his wife's still one. "We need you. I am not cut out for this."

"You are better than you know, Crado." A familiar voice sounded and he looked to see Bri standing there with a pair of orderlies. "Are you sure...?"

"We will tend her." Crado said, bowing his head. "And if it comes to it... She wanted to die at home."

"They need me here, Crado." Bri said softly as the orderlies approached to start preparing Anya for moving. "But if _you_ need me, call."

"I will." Crado promised, then stepped out of the room to let the professionals work. "I will..." He repeated softly.


	88. Chapter 88

It was a somber group that met in the Solinus apartments. Everyone except for Granli of course, had eaten the diner that Melissa and Jennifer had prepared. Crado had picked at his own specially prepared food, but eaten when both cooks had pushed him to. Chris and Portia cleaned the table and worked on the dishes while the others sat. Finally Granli spoke.

"Is it true, Crado?" Granli asked softly. "What the Alliance did to Anya?"

"Yeah." Crado said in a monotone.

"I don't understand." Melissa said. She was pushing a small piece of plastic around her place at the table to have something to do with her hands. "EM Fields don't hurt. Yours feel...good." Melissa said, looking at Granli.

"Mine are very low power and I modulate them to soothe." Granli said with a trace of the fury they all felt. "What they did to her... Jennifer?" She asked. "Have you had a chance to look over the data Hackett gave?"

"Yes." Jennifer said, her tone flat. "Even knowing how tough Anya is, how fast she regenerates damage taken, I am surprised it didn't kill her. Electromagnetic energy can soothe, but it can also kill. It depends on the strength and intensity of the field. The one they hit her with was about twenty times as powerful as anything Granli can generate, Melissa. And they hit her with it for minutes at a time. She was always so tough... I..." She shook her head.

"Was she burned?" Portia asked, as she came back in and sat beside Granli who laid an arm around the girl. "I mean, like when her implant was messed up?"

"No." Jennifer said with a sigh. "Some scarring apparently took place, but it was minimal and she healed it swiftly. They were careful about how much they hit her with and for how long. But still..."

"I want to hurt someone."Melissa said slowly. "I want to..." She broke off as Chris sat beside her and embraced her. She smiled at him and leaned into his embrace. "Oh Chris..." She said, trying to keep from crying. "What will we _do_ if she doesn't wake up?"

"We go on." Chris said slowly, easing his beloved to keep her comfortable while holding her tight. "She wouldn't want any of us to fall apart." His gaze landed on Crado who nodded.

"The thought of losing her...again..." The male turian said haltingly. "It hurts. It hurts a lot. But... This time, I am not alone." He looked around to the others who nodded. "I am not going to do anything dumb." Everyone smiled at that and he nodded, straightening. "Nira?" He asked.

"I put her in the guest room." Granli said with a nod. "She was incoherent so I hit her with a pulse. She will sleep for a few more hours and wake up hungry."

"I will make sure there is dextro food available close at hand." Melissa said, happy to have something to focus on. "Anyone know what foods she prefers?" The others looked at each other and shrugged. Melissa nodded. "I'll ask when she wakes. We have a selection. We are not going to let her eat ration bars."

"You are not that evil." Chris said with feeling. "Had enough of those during the war." Everyone but Granli and Portia shuddered and those looked slightly sick.

"Agreed." Crado said with a nod. "How goes the remodeling?"

"On time and almost on budget." Chris said with a nod. "I have had spot to check a few things. A couple of Spolik's contractors tried to skimp on stuff, cut corners to come in under the time frame. We caught them, but had to redo a section of the main computer service runs."

"I bet that elcor wanted to step on them." Portia said with a smile that faded as Chris looked at her. "He didn't, did he?"

"No. He did worse." Chris said with a nod. "He blacklisted them."

"He what?" Portia asked, confused. She had never heard that word.

"He blacklisted them." Chris repeated with a shrug. "In any industry, there are standards, rules, regulations. Some of those standards, rules and regulations are silly. Some aren't. There are things that can be tweaked, improved or worked around to make life easier for the construction crews or the residents. There are some things that can't be. Life support for instance. This wasn't that critical, it was a service wiring duct that was planned to feed extranet to the classrooms." He looked at Portia to see if she followed and she nodded. "Put simply, 'Blacklisting' means that he put out the word to other engineers and contractors that the people he fired cannot be trusted to do the job that they were hired to do." Portia stared at him for a moment and then her eyes went wide. "Yeah."

"Historically..." Jennifer said softly. "Way back when... It was an actual list and getting on that list was a one way ticket to starvation. Now it is more a database. And every single reputable contactor checks that database. Those guys likely won't ever get a good job in the field again."

"Ouch." Portia said slowly. "What will happen to them?" Everyone looked at her and she squirmed. "I am just curious."

"They may find...less than reputable work somewhere." Chris said, his lips tight. "Or they may change fields. Dishonest contractors don't last long in the their fields. People _do_ talk to one another." He shrugged. "Not our problem. But other than that... No problems."

"No...uh... Personality issues?" Crado asked carefully.

"We have had three brawls." Jennifer said with a sigh. "Only one with injuries beyond bruises and that was just plain stupidity."

"What happened" Crado asked.

"Some of the construction crew made comments about the military." Jennifer said with a grimace. Everyone stiffened and she nodded. "The team didn't take that well."

"I bet." Crado said with a wince. "Do I want to know?" He asked, half fearfully.

"No one died." Jennifer said with a nod. "It was going beyond words when the security forces got there."

"Wait, what?" Crado asked, incredulous. "We have a security force?"

"Unofficial." Jennifer smiled. "But _very_ effective. The krogan have apparnetly decided that _no one_ will break the peace." Crado sat back, stunned and Jennifer smiled. "I know. I know, it boggles the mind. But they are _good_ at it. By all accounts, they _never_ draw weapons."

"They don't _need_ them." Crado said, somewhere between wonder and horror. "Whose idea was _this?_"

"To tell the truth, I am not sure." Jennifer said with a frown. "All I know is that the last few days, all kinds of small problems simply went away." At Crado's look, Jennifer made a 'shoo'ing' gesture. "Nothing major. Long days, hot tempers, and beer. Some of the construction guys don't like the military and vice versa. _Nobody_ likes some of the inspectors. One of _them_ managed to fall into one of the waste recycling vats." Everyone went 'eww' in unison and Jennifer nodded. "No injuries, but very stinky and she _swore_ she had been tripped, but no one was nearby." She beamed innocently.

"I don't want to know." Crado said slowly. Jennifer opened her mouth and he shook his head savagely. "I _don't_ want to know. What I don't know, I don't have to lie about!" He shook his head and focused. "So... The brawl with injuries?"

"Yeah." Jennifer shrugged. "A group of construction types in the assembly hall were making comments about the level of funding militaries get. It..um...got loud." She shrugged again. "I was never part of a regular military, but I _do_ know that the budget rarely is enough."

"Yeah." Crado said with a sigh that Granli shared. They smiled at each other and Crado continued. "Even in turian society, there have always been knock down drag out fights for funding. There is only so much after all." Everyone nodded. "Then you get someone like Garrus who comes up and starts screaming about something off the wall." Everyone looked at him and he made a face. "Come on. Twenty years ago... "Reapers'? I mean, _really?_" He said in a comically inquisitive tone. Everyone shared a soft laugh at that. True.

"Good point." Jennifer said with a sigh as she sat back. "Anyway... It was heading towards more than words when the krogan got there. The military people backed off immediately. They had sense. One of the construction guys threw a punch at a turian and hit the krogan who had stepped between them."

"Oh no..." Crado said, sighing. "No..."

"I expected blood on the floor." Jennifer said quietly. "I _did not_ expect the construction guy to be brought in, conscious, to medical to have his hand set. It was broken, but he had _no_ other injures except some bruises. He was scared out of his mind. But... They took my statement on his injuries, then took him off, they said to lockup pending a hearing." Crado felt his eyes widen and he could see the others staring at Jennifer as well.

"You are kidding." Crado said incredulous. Jennifer shook her head and he shook his. "You are _not_ kidding? Krogan cops? I mean, actual, trained police type security?"

"Yeah, um..." Jennifer looked uncomfortable. "I thought you knew."

"Nobody has said anything to _me_." Crado said with a snap. "Mika?"

"Yes, Crado?" The voice of the woman who was stuck in the computer systems was kind and gentle as always. "What can I do for you?"

"When did we get _krogan_ cops?" Crado demanded.

"We didn't." Mika replied softly. "The ones who diffused that incident were some of a special class being run by General Vakarian." Crado stared at the wall speaker and then winced. "For your information, Morgan Gos, the construction worker who was injured, spent time in a small cell that had been set up for such things, and then was released pending a hearing with Anya."

"Get Garrus in here." Crado said with a snarl. "Now."

"He is on his way." Mika said softly. "His plan is..." She paused as Crado made a noise of worry.

"Mika, if we start _making_ the laws..." Crado winced. "I don't have the experience or the knowledge base to do that. I don't think _any_ of us do." All the others looked at each other and winced in unison.

"He isn't." Mika replied softly. "He is using C-Sec regulations as a guide, and training the small group as police."

"Garrus Vakarian... is training... krogan... as..." Crado broke off, utterly dumbfounded. "There is just no way." The door chimed and Crado called out. "Get in here, Garrus!"

The turian who entered the living quarters looked sheepish. "Uh, hi Crado..." He said, fidgeting. "You heard."

"Krogan cops." Crado said softly.

"Well... No. Not yet." Garrus said with a sigh. "Most are former security types. They wanted to do it right. They wanted to learn police procedures and I told them I wasn't the one to do it, but they insisted..."

"Krogan cops..." Crado said with a shake of his head.

"They were not supposed to _do_ anything until I told you and Anya." Garrus said with a snap. "But they really wanted to learn. So I..." He broke off as Crado made a strangled sound.

"_Garrus Vakarian_ is teaching _krogan_ how to be _cops?_" Crado asked with a tone that was one step away from all out laughter. "What is the human saying? Hell just froze over?" He asked Jennifer who was grinning. She nodded.

"No. It's not funny!" Garrus said with a snap. "I gave them some books on police procedures. I gave them some advice, answered some questions. That is _all_ I did."

"Garrus...You instructed them." Jennifer said gently. "You are teaching them."

"I..." Garrus shook his head. "No... I... I am not!" He insisted. Crado lost his battle and started to laugh. All the others were chuckling. "I am not..." Garrus said, slumping. "Am I?" He asked plaintively.

"Yep." Crado said with a final laugh. "_Dang_, I needed that. Krogan cops..." He said, chuckling again. He shook himself. He was smiling, but then it faded. "Do we _need_ a security force?" He asked seriously.

"Yes." Garrus said with a sigh. "You all..." He waved at the others. "Can handle the odd problems, But calling you, Crado or any of the others... in to deal with a bar brawl is like using particle beam to kill a mosquito. It will _work_, but oh, the collateral damage." Everyone winced at that and Garrus nodded. The turian general continued calmly. "It doesn't need to be a _big_ force. But you _do_ need one."

"And these krogan..." Crado said with a small shake of his head.

"They came to me, a few days ago." Garrus said softly. "They had all done the usual krogan 'me big, me tough, me krogan' security type jobs. But they knew that wasn't the right way to do it." Crado looked at him and Garrus sighed. "Look, my problems with C-Sec are known..."

"Legendary." Melissa said sotto voice. Garrus tried to continue as everyone chuckled again.

"I am _not_ a good cop." Garrus said quietly when the mirth had settled. Everyone stared at him and he nodded. "I am not a good turian _or_ a good cop. A good turian gets a bad order and he or she obeys it. I get a bad order and I question it. A good cop follows procedure because that is how the police are supposed to work. I was _never_ a good cop." Garrus said with a sigh. "I was always so impatient. So ready to go around, to try and make my own way. Don't get me wrong..." Garrus said softly. "I _still_ think many of C-Sec's regulations are a pile of mess. But the law is the law. Laws are there to protect people."

"Garrus..." Crado said, shaking his head. "Anyone who knows you..." He broke off as Garrus shook his own head.

"Just hear me out." Garrus said softly. Crado nodded and sat back. "Much as I detest C-Sec regulations, they were there for a reason. It took years for me to see that. I was never a good fit there. Not like my dad. He was a detective. I am not."

"You did good things." Crado said softly.

"Yeah I did." Garrus said with a smile that faded. "But... I also took risks. You know,... The day I met Jane, I took a shot I shouldn't have. I missed a hostage's head by centimeters to free her from the thug who was holding her. If I had killed Dr. Michel..." He took a deep breath. "I told myself then and I tell myself now that if I hadn't taken the shot, they would have killed her. Shepard 's arrival threw them into survival mode. And... I..." He slumped. "I am not a good cop."

"And you think these krogan want to be good cops?" Crado asked in the silence that fell. "Really?"

"I do." Garrus said softly. "They could have gone into that situation in the usual krogan fashion, drawn shotguns, flattened everyone and sat on the perpetrators until they stopped fighting. They didn't. They looked at the situation, called for backup and _then_ went in. They de-escalated the situation. Yes, their reputation helped. Yes, they _could_ have torn the area apart. They _chose_ not to. One turned his back on a drunk and I _am_ going to have words with him about that." Garrus said with a snap. "The human broke his hand on the krogan's shell because the krogan was focused on a turian. Admittedly..." Garrus said with a sigh. "The turian was military and armed. But he stood down as soon as the krogan showed up and started to sort it out. Say what you will about our kind, we _do_ generally know how to obey orders." Now he smiled. "It helped that the krogan made themselves a uniform, they even _look_ like cops."

"This is going to take a while to sink in, Garrus." Crado said with a sigh. "I mean... _Krogan cops_." He said with a grin.

"I felt the same way." Garrus said with a bemused expression. "But they are serious. They _do_ want to learn how to be keepers of the peace."

"To protect and serve?" Melissa said softly. Garrus nodded and Melissa blinked. "Do you have copies of those materials you gave them?"

"Melissa?" Crado asked as Garrus froze. "You?"

"Yes." Melissa said soberly. "I was sick of killing people, Crado. I think... I think if it came down to it. To protect myself or someone else, I _could_, even now. But I don't want to." Chris looked at her as well and she shrugged. "I... Nothing I looked at really fit. I never really thought about being a police officer. Do you mind if I look, Garrus?"

"I don't mind at all." Garrus said softly. "But I am not your clan leaders." Melissa looked at Crado and Granli who shared a glance between them.

"It's a _very_ different world, Melissa." Crado said cautiously. "I never went for it myself. I knew what I was going to do from the time I could walk. But this I do know. For a soldier, weapons are high on the list of possible responses. For police, it should always be the _last_ resort." Garrus nodded soberly.

"He is right." The standing male turian said with a sigh. "I was always _way_ too quick to draw my gun. If you _do_ go this route, do _not_ follow in my footsteps. I had more luck than _anyone_ should expect." He took a deep breath. "So... mind if I keep teaching, Crado?"

"Keep us informed." Crado said with a nod. "I _hope_ no more surprises today. Nira was bad enough."

"I heard she was crying when you brought her in." Garrus' face was worried. "Is she...?"

"She will be fine." Jennifer said sadly. "Well, as fine as she can be. Garrus..." She said slowly. "Why did you keep checking up on her?"

"She impressed me." Garrus said with a nod. "I heard about her infatuation, but she never spoke of it. She was always business first. And..." He sighed a little. "She was never shy about speaking her mind. What happened to her was bad. I wasn't... I know Jane can't come back. I am not over Jane. I don't know if I will ever be. But I was told to get on with my life." The other all nodded. They knew what had happened. "Nira was suggested as someone who could use a hand. Jane's idea of...subtle.. I think..." He said with a wince. Jennifer crossed her arms and waited. Garrus sighed. "Okay, I thought she was attractive and tough. Even in the hospital, she didn't hesitate to call me on any mistakes she caught me making."

"And the fact that she is a biotic?" Melissa asked softly.

"Couldn't care less." Garrus said with a snarl. "I had a distaste for biotics when I worked for C-Sec." He sighed. "Yes, I thought they were unnatural."

"We are." A soft voice had everyone spinning to see someone who had just entered the room behind Garrus. He hadn't closed the hatch behind him. "Teach you to close a door, huh, general?" A older human female asked with a sour look that turned into a wide smile.

"_Kai!_" Portia bounced off the couch and ran to her sister, hugging her older sibling tight. Everyone crowded around Kai and she put up with their greetings. Then she lifted Portia into her arms as the girl started crying. "I didn't think I would see you again!" Portia sobbed as she cuddled close.

"Wasn't sure I would make it myself." Kai Solinus said sadly as she walked to the couch, taking a spot that was quickly vacated for her. "It was...rough. But I am back." She said, holding Portia as the girl calmed. "I heard about Anya." She said sadly.

"All of it?" Crado asked softly. Kai nodded. "What do the rachni say?"

"They are pissed." Kai said with a snap. "Every one of them could tell _something_ was wrong with Anya. None of them had any idea." Garrus turned to go and Kai shook her head. "Oh, no, General Vakarian. You don't escape so easily." She said with a frown that turned into a smile as he turned back, a scared look on his face. "You are discussing Nira?"

"Yep." Crado said with a nod. "Granli?" His mate nodded as well and spoke in a formal voice.

"General Garrus Vakarian." The marauder spoke evenly and Garrus seemed to snap to attention. "You wish to pursue courtship with Lieutenant Nira Gradas?"

"I do." Garrus said in formal reply. The marauder pulled up her omni-tool and perused it in silence for a moment.

"Her clan was wiped out and her Cabal mostly wiped out. The survivors were absorbed into other units before she came to Anya. Very well." Granli said with a nod. "The Solinus clan stands for and with her. She is not in your chain of command, so the forms are slightly less complex." Granli said after a moment. "Anya filled out the basic forms and submitted them to me. Who is the contact person in your clan?"

"Major Solana Vakarian." Garrus said softly. "My sister." Granli hit some keys and nodded.

"Anything you want to add before I send off the forms to her?" Granli asked. "Anything you want to say, say it now. You _know_ how hard it is to get paperwork changed after it has been submitted." She said with a grimace.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace?" Melissa said with a grin that faded as the others looked at her. She wilted. "Seemed funny. Sorry..." Chris hugged her and she subsided.

"No." Garrus said quietly. "I want to get to know Nira. I am hurting, but... so is she. Jane thought we would be good for one another. I don't know, but I _do_ want to find out."

"I will send these off and let you know." Granli said with a nod. "Any...more surprises?" She asked cautiously.

"Not that I know of?" Garrus said with a sigh. "But the night _is_ young." The others smiled at him and he left the room, _this_ time, carefully closing the hatch after him.

"Kai?" Portia asked. "You back to stay?"

"I don't know." Kai admitted. "Things with the hive are...in upheaval at the moment. Rachni don't deal so well with upheavals. They prefer order." She said softly. "And... I have training." Kai said with a nod. "But I have two hours to spend with my family."

"Good." Crado said, holding out a hand. "You have been missed." Kai took it and squeezed.

"And I have missed all of you." Kai said sadly. "So... What the _hell_ happened? The last thing I remember is being clamped into a stasis pod. I was... not handling it well...My queen dying. It took the others some time to calm me down enough to help me."

"Eh..." Crado looked at the others and grimaced. "Well, for starters... We have a new sister. Bri."

"The Collector, I know." Kai said with a nod. "The rachni talked to her quite a bit while she was recovering. She has some fascinating points of view. Where is she?"

"Trying to keep Raan'ita in a bed long enough to heal." Jennifer said with a wince. Kai's eyes went wide and Jennifer nodded. "Yeah. She might be a while."

"Ah, yeah." Kai said with a nod. "Crado? What about your kid? Yours and Anya's?" Crado froze. "Crado...?"

"Oh my god..." Crado said as he stared at Jennifer who also froze. _Everyone_ stiffened. "Jennifer?" He snapped, horrified.

"On it!" Jennifer called as she rolled off the chair, was on her feet and out of the room with Crado in hot pursuit before anyone else could speak.

"So much for no more surprises..." Kai said as she rose to follow with the others.


	89. Chapter 89

Crado caught up to Jennifer quickly. She was leaning against the wall not far from the door to their shared quarters, her face ashen.

"Jennifer?" He asked as he came up to her. "What's wrong?"

"Damn it, I forgot..." Jennifer said, grimacing. "My knees. I just hurt my knees again." Crado paused and then sighing, lifted her up off her feet and carried her easily. "Crado!" She snapped.

"You are not my type." Crado said quietly. "I am not your type. Everyone knows that. Relax. My fault. I should have remembered."

"I am _supposed_ to be the medical person of the family." Jennifer said with a snap that turned into a groan as Crado moved her to try and make her more comfortable. "Haven't tried to move that fast for a while. _Now_ I remember _why_."

"Where?" Crado said, shaking his head as some people asked if he needed help.

"Medical." Jennifer said, trying to restrain another groan. "I...will need some help and Scholar's lab..." She bit back a scream as he started off at a trot.

"Hold tight, Jennifer." Crado said softly. "I will get you there. Mika!" He called. "Alert medical! We need to enter Scholar's lab and Jennifer needs some help. Is Bri still there?"

"Bri?" Jennifer asked and then groaned as pressure on her legs mounted. Crado shifted her to try and get weight off her knees and she bit back another scream.

"Healer Bri is still there." Mika's voice came. "She was finalizing the home care arrangements and making sure Anya is healthy before releasing her to your care. How bad?"

"Possible..." Jennifer gasped. "Possible dislocated patella on right knee. Definitely muscle strains at the least on left. Don't THINK anything broke... this time... Can't... Can't tell for sure..." She said, breathing heavily. "Hurts like hell!"

"They are updated." Mika replied swiftly. "Bri and a nurse are..."

"I am here." A sharp voice sounded and Crado relaxed slightly as Bri appeared. She and a nurse came running. "What happened?" The Collector demanded. "Set her down, Crado. Carefully."

"I was stupid is what happened." Jennifer said with a gasp as Crado set her down slowly and carefully. She still groaned in pain as her legs touched the ground. "Old... Old wounds...Healed wrong. Couldn't be regenerated." She shook her head and then went white as Bri gently touched her right knee.

"Hurts?" Bri asked softly as the nurse started scanning. "All the way around?" She asked as her hands traced the knee slowly and carefully.

"Yeah." Jennifer said with a wince as Bri pulled out a pair of bandage scissors. "Significant amounts of pain in both knees. Ah, man... I like these pants..." She looked away as Bri carefully cut her right pant leg up. Crado managed to control a gasp, but it was hard. Jennifer's right knee had swollen to twice it's normal size. Bri winced and then did the same for the other leg. It was just as bad. "I know better. Damn it, I _know_ better than to run." Jennifer said, tears starting to fall. The nurse inhaled and Bri nodded as the rest of her leg was exposed. It was a mass of bruises..

""Oh boy..." Bri said softly. "Well, you are spending the night, Jennifer. At the very least."

"Eight surgeries and four years of rehab and I could walk without a cane." Jennifer said sadly. "Gone, I bet. I _hate_ wheelchairs!" She said with a snarl.

"We will see." Bri said gently. "The nerves are still working. We might be able to do something. I will consult with the rachni, see what they say. You are _not_ going to be running any time in the near future though, Jennifer. Why were you?" She asked curiously as she started measuring medication.

"Crado..." Jennifer said softly as Bri injected her. "You... Tell her... I think... I am gonna pass out now." She said sadly and then collapsed. Bri jerked, but a quick check showed Jennifer's vitals were strong.

"How bad?" Crado asked, worried.

"She had torn a bunch of ligaments, and like she said, her right kneecap is dislocated." Bri said sadly. "Her left worries me more, actually. It's artificial and there is some splintering of the bone ends. Nurse, status on the gurney?"

"On the way, Healer." The nurse said quickly.

"Good." Bri turned to Crado. "Now. _Why_ was she running? Like she said, she knew better." Bri said suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Crado said softly. "I forgot something. We _all_ did."

"I hope it's important." Bri said with a snap. "It may have just crippled Jennifer."

"It's important. Scholar made a child from Anya and me. The first one he made possible was killed by Anya's mother, so he was going to make her another." Crado said softly. Bri froze and spun to stare at the turian. "He was growing it in his lab, like he grew the eggs that became the protheans that Anya bore. It's in his lab. We forgot all about it!" Crado said with a shake of his head. "Can you get in?"

"My god." Bri said slowly. Then she took a deep breath and nodded. "I can. Nurse." She turned to her subordinate who nodded. "Get Jennifer to a bed. Immobilize and elevate the legs, and start her on a drip. Basic painkillers first. We have her files. We will plan on starting a run of anti-inflammatories and go from there. Check for allergies." The nurse nodded and turned back to Jennifer, omni-tool whirring. "Crado, come with me." Bri said, rising Crado followed. As she walked, Bri snarled softly. "I know things have been nuts, but _how_ the _hell_ can you _forget_ a child?" She demanded.

"You don't need to kick me, I am doing it myself. With everything else..." Crado said sadly. "It slipped our minds until Kai came back and asked. I saw a pod, but never anything that looked like a child. Was Scholar lying about that?" He asked slowly as she walked quickly. The two protheans who stood guard at the door to Anya's room saluted and Crado returned the salutes as he walked by.

"I don't know." Bri said with a sigh. "He was awfully tightlipped about a lot of things. Is it your child or hers?"

"He said it was both." Crado said with a sigh. Bri looked at him and Crado nodded. "I know. Dextro proteins and Levo proteins don't mix. But Raan'ita was in on it, and you _know_ how hard she is to fool."

"She is not perfect, Crado." Bri warned. "You know that."

"I do." Crado said with a nod. "But after what Anya's mom did..." He bowed his head. "I never dreamed to have a child with Anya. We loved each other and that was enough. We were toying with the idea of adopting. Then Raan'ita and Miranda said we _had_ conceived. And then Scholar explained _he_ had done it. Primed her to accept my child. And..." Crado shook his head.

"Wait a minute." Bri said, not stopping, but staring sidelong at the turian. "I was gone from the ship by then. You say he set _her_ up so _she_ could conceive with _you_?" Crado nodded and Bri inhaled. "That shouldn't have been possible."

"I know." Crado said sadly. "But all the docs agreed. She was pregnant. And it was a turian/human hybrid."

"That is not possible, Crado." Bri said slowly as they approached the sealed door to Scholar's lab. "Even if she _had_ been able to bear a child whose blood was poisonous to her to term, and give birth with no complications, she wouldn't have been able to _nourish_ it."

"Bri." Crado said softly. "Was it possible for a human to bear _prothean_ young?" Bri froze in mid stride and then nodded slowly. "I wanted to believe. _Anya_ wanted to believe. Raan'ita believed. If it was a lie..." He took a deep breath. "We can't tell her. Tell her I killed it, tell her..." He broke off as Bri covered his mouth with her hand.

"No." Bri said gently. "No more lies, Crado Solinus. She _would_ find out and it would hurt her worse. Let's see..." She touched the access panel and blinked as it didn't open. "What the...?" She keyed the panel again and shook her head as the door refused to open. "Mika? Is my code not valid?"

"It _should_ be." The voice of the station computer said curious. "Let's see... Hmmm... There is a new lock. It's DNA coded."

"DNA coded?" Bri said with a shiver. "Can you tell what DNA?"

"Not... human..." Mika said softly. "Turian?" She mused. "Maybe. This is weird. It's like it's saying 'Hi there, give me this kind of being.' It shouldn't do that, should it?" Bri and Crado looked at one another.

"You don't _think_...?" They chorused. Bri smiled and waved Crado to the door. He laid his hand against the panel and it clicked But instead of opening, a voice sounded. _Scholar!_

"I leave this message for Crado Solinus." The voice of the prothean who had betrayed them came. It sounded sad and tired. "I don't have a lot of time. One way or another, my life is forfeit now. Either your people kill me or the Leviathans do. They want the machine that Anya's father built. They believe it will give them back their mastery over all races. I... I am a thrall, I have no choice in what I do anymore. I want to tell you, warn you. They won't let me." Scholar sounded sick now. "They want Anya and Portia, to breed controllers for the machines they plan to build." Crado inhaled but the voice continued. "I... I think I managed to hide the fact that the machines are unstable. I don't know for sure. If I didn't... If they rise..." Scholar's voice sighed and then spoke again.

"I do not have a choice but to do what they tell me. But there are two things I _can_ give you." The voice of the prothean turned kind. "First: Neither Anya nor Portia will suffer if I can help it. I will do everything in my power to keep them safe and comfortable in the prisons they will spend the rest of their lives in. I don't want to do it. I don't..." A gasp of pain came from the speaker and Scholar spoke quickly. "Not a lot of time... They want Anya _now_. My plans are laid. Hopefully no one will die. I don't want to kill anyone. I never did. I am sorry. Tell Anya, I am sorry. I didn't intend on... loving her. She was the vessel of my race's rebirth, nothing more. But... That changed. I saw the echo of my lost love in her. Anya... She was... so..." The recording of Scholar paused and then he had a sad smile in his voice when he continued. "Leviathans don't understand love. They never did. They never will. For them, the only thing that matters is themselves. They don't care about anything else. Maybe once, long ago, they had the capacity for love. If so, they lost it over the eons and now they are soulless monsters. Anya was so selfless, so caring. What I told her... It was a lie, but it wasn't." Bri jerked but did not speak as Crado shook his head, bemused.

"What I am about to do is horrible beyond belief." The recording continued. "I can only _hope_ that the machine detonates. The explosion will kill me and everyone in the base that the Leviathans have set up. Portia won't suffer. Anya will until we put her in the machine and I regret that more than I can say. She has always been a fighter." There were tears in the recorded voice now. "I wish... I wish I could have been the gentle, compassionate, kindly soul that I have played. I wish I was like Bri." Bri jerked and Crado laid a hand on her arm. She subsided. "My sister doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember the evil, selfish _scum_ I was. I lied about so much. But _this_ is not a lie, Crado Solinus. I _do_ love Anya. I have loved Anya from the moment I woke her and lied to her. Even when she linked to me, I lied to her. I... I could always manage to hide my true feelings, even in a mental link with other protheans. That is what made my rebellion almost succeed."

"Rebellion?" Bri said, stunned. "Mental shields... That is how he wasn't detected out of his body when Anya took me to meet Harbinger!" Crado shushed her, Scholar was speaking again.

"I had such grand plans." Scholar's recorded voice said sadly. "So many plans. I wanted to bring in a new age to our Empire, an age of peace and reason. But I was a fool and trusted the wrong people. I loved my mate and I loved my child. I wanted to make a difference, and I didn't know how. Looking back, what happened was inevitable. I was taken and my family punished for my insolence. For my lesser rebellion of breeding without permission, they were sent to die in a war the Empire was waging. I was sent to stasis and then, I woke on Illos, a prisoner, a pawn, a tool. That is all I have been since that day. Maybe... Maybe now I can undo SOME of my horrors." The recording paused again and then Scholar spoke a little more quickly.

"The second thing I have for you is this: Every ounce of research I have on reproduction. I _did_ make you and Anya a child." Bri and Crado both inhaled but Scholar wasn't done. "Even if, by some miracle, Anya survives what the Leviathans plan to do to her, is sane and manages to escape... It will not be easy. Anya cannot synthesis the nutrients the child will need to survive. I have left all the information you will need to let your child grown healthy and strong. I do not know if your child will be male or female. I deliberately set it up so it was random. This is all I can do. I can hope Anya survives, and returns to you someday. But I don't expect it. Leviathans do not surrender their thralls so easily. She will fight their control and it will hurt her. I don't want this." Scholar sobbed. "I don't want to do this! Wha-?" His voice altered, turning shocked. "No! No, not _now_! Oh Portia, why did you have to say that _now_?" The sound of..wings was heard. Hundreds of small wings? The recording fuzzed off and Bri and Crado stared at one another.

"He was monitoring Medical." Crado said softly. "So when C-Flat Viridian and Illia brought Portia in to tell Anya that Portia's abilities had manifested. And then she asked about the implants. The ones that Cerberus hadn't put in..."

"He said he was rushed." Bri's voice was soft. "He had to use seeker swarms that weren't set properly for all the races aboard the station. He planned to use the swarms later that night. He planned to loop the computer systems, put the alert forces in stasis, subdue Anya and Portia and spirit them away. He did not want to confront the rachni. He liked her from what he said."

"He shot her, Bri." Crado said flatly. "Everyone was in stasis. No one could help her."

"I know." Bri said sadly. Then both paused as the door in front of them hissed open. Bri immediately stepped in, making a beeline toward a large tank that was set up on a table nearby. An amorphous mass shone through the clear plastic. She started muttering to herself as she checked the readouts.

"Dang..." Crado said softly, looking at several screens nearby. "He was in _every_ surveillance feed." He pointedly ignored Bri, letting her work as he fiddled with controls, clicking on various monitors. "Makes sense if he was a spy..."

"Crado? Bri" A soft, worried voice said from the door. Kai stood there, Melissa beside her. "What happened to Jennifer?" Kai asked.

"She tried to run." Crado said sadly.

"Aw _crap_!" Kai's voice was sour. "Dang it, she knows better! But it was an emergency."

"Yes, it was." Bri's voice was soft now. Tender. "We will do what we can for her. But for right now... Crado? Come look at your children."

"_Children?_" All three of the others chorused. Crado looked flabbergasted. All three came closer to where Bri was standing now, a bemused smile on her face. They stared at the tank.

"Twins." Bri said with a smile. "Scholar wasn't perfect, any more than I am. You have a son and a daughter. They seem to be in good health. We were in time." She stepped back as Crado reached out a hesitant hand to touch the tank and then withdrew it. "You won't hurt the tank, Crado. Go ahead." Bri said gently. Crado looked at her and laid his hand on the tank.

"It feels...alive..." Crado said dubiously.

"It is." Bri said quietly. "Its Collector technology mixed with some prothean stuff. But they shouldn't stay in there much longer. They need their mom." Crado looked at her and Bri smiled. "And that give me an idea..."

**A fairly intense hour later**

"Please tell me you are _not_ going to put me to sleep!" Jennifer snapped softly. She turned her head as she lay, looking to where her older sister lay, still deeply asleep. "Please, Bri... I have to watch. I have to see." She begged as the Collector worked on the IV lines connected to Jennifer's lower back and legs.

"I know." The Collector said gently. "I won't. But you are on spinal block. You are _not_ moving from that bed until I can reduce the swelling and see what I can figure out for your knees and legs. Clear?" She asked in an ominous tone.

"Yes, ma'am." Jennifer said sadly. "I am sorry. But... How often does my _sister_ have kids? Twins?" A strange bubbling feeling surged through Jennifer and she found herself smiling giddily.

"You know she can't ever bear children again, Jennifer." Bri said sadly. "It is not physically possible for her anymore."

"I know." Jennifer said sadly. "I was there. I told Karinlina not to. I begged her not to. She did it anyway and smiled." She said with a snarl. "Evil bitch. I am _glad_ she is gone!"

"Calm down, Jennifer." Bri warned her. "There is enough emotion in here already. I wanted to do it with just Crado and Granli. But then Melissa, Kai, Portia, _you_, Illia -a rachni!- Raan'ita, Lipa and heaven only knows who else is watching on holo!"

"I'll keep her calm." Illia said gently as she sat back down beside Jennifer. She laid a hand on Jennifer's left hand and smiled. Jennifer smiled back, a fond, somewhat sad smile. "I promise."

"I will hold you to that." Bri said sharply, then sighed. "I wanted this private. There is _so_ much that _can_ go wrong." She said with a wince as she looked at the crowded room.

Crado sat by his wife's bed, Granli beside him. A pair of fully armed protheans stood by her bed as well, an honor guard. She had _tried_ to get them to leave, but they had ignored her. She had actually tried to call the cops, and even the krogan had backed off when Javik had said that the guards would die first. Jennifer lay in another bed, Illia by her side. Kai stood by a wall. Standing beside her was one of the rachni, C Flat Magenta, Bri thought. Raan'ita was -against orders (She was supposed to still be on bed rest)- sitting up in a wheeled chair not far from Anya's bed, her hand gently caressing the tank that sat on a wheeled table beside her chair. Her other hand still had IVs running. Lipa stood beside Raan'ita, also fully armed. A guard for Anya's children. Melissa stood with Chris and Portia, a holo camera hovering beside them. Bri shook her head.

"You all insisted, and your arguments made sense. So I will not argue except on this." Bri said severely. "If you bother Anya or her children, I _will_ throw _all_ of you out on your butts. Don't try me." She said, looking at the protheans in particular. Lipa nodded to her soberly. "She had been hurt... enough." Bri said, tears threatening. Everyone nodded soberly. "Crado... The lock on the tank is the same as the door to the lab. Your DNA."

"What do I do?" Crado asked softly.

"I need you to touch the lock." Bri said gently. "Then I will crack the seals and remove each of them. Raan'ita?" The quarian held up a blanket and nodded with a smile. "I will give the children to you, then you can dry them off and give them to their father in turn. I am willing to bet that Anya will wake as soon as they start to cry. If not, we can set them with her."

"She hated seeing kids hurt, hearing them cry." Raan'ita said soberly. "That was one reason she went crazy on Benning."

"We are not going to hurt them." Bri said gently when Crado blanched. "But birth is traumatic. They have been floating in that tank, safe and warm for the last several weeks. It's going to be a shock. You have names for them?"

"We do." Crado said softly. "We had a male name and female name selected. We get to use both."

"Good." Bri said softly. She looked around the rooms. "Okay. _Do not_ startle the little ones." Bri said with a clear hint of threat on her tone. "They are going to be scared and confused by this. Let's _not_ add to their trauma." Everyone nodded soberly. "Whenever you are ready, Crado."

The turian soldier paused or a moment, his hands clasped in front of himself. Then, quick as a whip, he reached out and laid his hand against a panel on the tank. A barely visible light changed from red to green. Bri smiled at him and reached for the tank. A quick touch and a hiss sounded. A line appeared along the top of it as a lid opened. Bri reached inside and slowly, gently, pulled a small struggling form out of the watery mix. In form it resembled a human, but... not. It had a fringe and a long ridge of scales on it's skull. It coughed and immediately started to wail. Crado jerked looking at Anya, but Bri held the child to Raan'ita first. Raan'ita took the child, murmuring softly to it. She cleaned it off and dried it. Then she wrapped the little one in a blanket and held it. The child's wails were loud, but Anya did not stir.

"Your son." Raan'ita said as she held the small form to Crado who took it gingerly, as if he was afraid he would break the small form. "What is his name?"

"His name is José Minius Solinus." Crado said, his eyes on the small form that was still crying, but softer as he rocked it. "José for the father of the woman who was Anya's mother in every way but one. The woman she called Nanny Sara." Many eyes misted at that. "Minius, for my own maternal grandfather. And Solinus for our clan. Welcome, José Minius Solinus."

"Welcome." A soft murmur went around the room. Everyone but Bri stared at Anya, but the sleeping woman did not react. Bri reached into the tank again and then froze.

"Whoa!" Bri said with a smile. "We have a fighter here, she just tried to bite me. Good thing she doesn't have teeth yet." A laugh went around the room. "There, little one, it's a shock, I know..." Bri said gently as she pulled the other infant from the tank and it immediately started to wail even louder than her brother had. Everything stopped as a dazed voice sounded.

"Someone's kid is crying..." Anya said, her voice weak. "Someone help the kid." She begged.

"You can, Anya." Bri encouraged her as she handed Raan'ita the child for another fast cleaning. "Come on, girl. Wake up..." She said gently. "Someone wants to meet you."

"Someone's kid is crying." Anya repeated, tears falling. "Someone help the kid!" No one dared breathe.

"Anya." Bri said, taking the little girl back from Raan'ita and walking to the bed. "Your daughter needs you." She said, laying the small bundle on Anya's chest. The little one seemed to freeze for a moment before starting to cry again.

"My..." Anya froze, still not fully awake. "My...what?" She asked, then her eyes focused on the small form that was lying on her. "I... No... No, I can't! I am a danger!" She froze as if she didn't dare move, but Bri didn't move to take the child back. The little girl started crying harder, confused and scared by this odd behavior.

"Your daughter is crying, Anya Solinus." Bri said gently. "She wants her mother."

"I..." Anya shook her head, but slowly, ever so slowly, laid a hand on the small form and then, she pulled it close to her face. She looked at the little face and smiled. "She is beautiful." The little one looked up at her mother and then sighed in contentment.

"What is her name?" Bri asked quietly as Anya laid the now gurgling infant in the crook of her arm and rocked the little one gently. Anya looked up at Crado and froze on seeing the other small bundle in his arms.

"Ah... Twins?" The N7 asked, hesitant. "Oh boy..."

"Twins." Crado confirmed, a wide and only slightly goofy smile on his face. "Do you want to tell them or shall I?" Anya looked down at her future and smiled widely.

"My daughter's name is Callisia Jane Solinus." Anya said softly. "Callisia for Crado's mother. Jane, for the bravest human woman I have ever met in my life. My comrade who gave her life so that we all could live, and Solinus for our clan." She said slowly and carefully. "Welcome, Calisia Jane Solinus."

"Welcome." A soft murmur went around the room. Anya smiled at her daughter again and then looked up and froze on seeing everyone gathered around her and their conditions.

"What have I missed?" She said a bit weakly.

"Not much." Melissa said from her spot back at the wall. "The world just changed again."

"Is that all?" Anya asked. "Good." She smiled as she gazed into her daughter's face again.


	90. Chapter 90

Anya sat back, a totally uncharacteristic look of bliss on her face as she fed her son. The little male was sucking on the bottle for all he was worth. Her daughter had already fed and was asleep in a double basinet that had just appeared somehow. She cradled the tiny form, rocking him gently as he ate. José finished his meal, burped loudly and then was promptly asleep. Granli looked at Anya and Anya smiled and nodded.

"We need to talk, all of us." She said quietly to the small group that was still present. No one had left since she had woken. Granli held out her hands and Anya sighed as she gave the little one to her sister/wife. The marauder's hands were gentle as she took José and laid him in the bassinet.

"I need to run some scans." Bri said softly. "On them and on you. Is that okay, Anya? Granli?" She asked. The marauder looked at Anya who nodded.

"Better do it now." Anya said sadly. "Besides, I am sure people are going to shout at me."

"No, we won't." Crado said gently. "It wasn't your fault." He leaned over the bassinet and smiled fondly to the pair of sleeping infants. "As I remember... They don't sleep long at this age. Better get it done now." He said, nodding to Anya.

"Granli?" Anya asked, her tone worried.

"I will stay with them." Granli said with a smile.

"As will I." Lipa's words silenced the room. She moved to stand beside the marauder as Granli lifted the bassinet without effort.

"Lipa?" Anya said, confused. "What?"

"We are going to protect you, Madre." Lipa said in a soft, but adamant tone. "Until you are back up to speed. And your little ones... Our siblings of the heart..." Lipa's voice turned tender for a moment. "We will allow no harm to come to them. Not now, not _ever_."

"Lipa." Anya said quietly, but with equal steel. "Wrapping children in wool to protect them doesn't help. It hurts them not to understand how dangerous the real world can be. I let you find out things on your own as a child. Even though it scared me, even though part of me hurt each time one of you was. I tried to keep you from _very_ dangerous things, but you _had_ to see for yourselves. You _had_ to know for yourselves." Lipa nodded soberly.

"Madre..." Lipa said calmly. "We understand that." The prothean stepped close and laid a hand on Anya's. "We are here to give _you_ peace of mind. If you tell us to leave, we will. But _you_ are the only one who can and we won't go far. There are too many threats to you and yours still."

"I..." Anya stiffened and then smiled. "Thank you, Lipa. Mind you..." She warned. "Some places are off limits." Lipa bowed her head in acknowledgement and followed Granli and Bri from the room. Anya bowed her head and spoke. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a week." Crado said gently.

"A week?" Anya asked, dumbfounded. "No wonder I feel like a wet noodle." She shook her head. "I am sorry. Everybody... I am sorry. Raan'ita in particular... I..." The quarian raised a hand and Anya paused. "What?"

"We know why you go berserk, Anya." Raan'ita said with a scowl. Anya's eyes went wide and Raan'ita continued. "Just before the Reapers hit, you were on Arcturus station."

"How do you know that?" Anya asked but then sighed. "Never mind, my whereabouts aren't classified anymore, are they?"

"I don't know." Raan'ita said flatly. "And truth be told, I don't care. You went in for a check-up." Anya nodded, mystified. "It wasn't a check-up."

"What?" Anya asked, confused. "It was my usual physical. I had one every year before the war."

"Okay." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Maybe you _did_ get a check-up as well. But... They gave you something and you slept through some of the tests." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Anya agreed with a shudder. "Some of them got _really_ gross. I don't _enjoy_ having a tube up my..." She broke off as Crado leaned close and hushed her with a gentle finger on her lips.

"Anya, you need to hear this." Her husband said sadly. "You really do." Anya stared at him and then at the others who all looked serious.

"What...What did they do?" Anya asked, fearful. Crado took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

"They hit the part to your brain that controls biotic ability with strong EM pulses, trying to stimulate growth there." Raan'ita said softly. Anya inhaled sharply and Raan'ita nodded. "It... changed your brain. Permanently. It apparently..." She broke off whatever she was going to say and looked at the rachni who bowed. "During your various recoveries with them, the rachni spent some time examining your brain in great detail. But they didn't know what they were seeing. They had no idea your brain had been...damaged." The rachni made a soft noise. It was clearly dismay even to those who did not understand the songs they sang.

"Damaged..." Anya said slowly, even more fearfully. "How... how bad?" She asked.

"Anya, your brain is functional." Raan'ita said gently. "It just..." She sighed. "We are not sure if they programmed you at the same time. Maybe they trusted your training. There is nothing in the records about programming, but if they _did_, it wouldn't have been written down. For good reason."

"The Alliance...did this to me?" Anya breathed.

"A faction _within_ the Alliance, under orders, Anya." Raan'ita said softly. "Hackett said something about 'When the devil drives'." Anya stared at Raan'ita and then nodded soberly. "I don't like that man and I didn't trust him before. Now I trust him even less."

"The quote goes... 'Needs must, when the Devil drives.' It's an old human military proverb." Anya said with a deep sigh. "It means sometimes events compel you to do something you would much rather not. I know they were trying to duplicate what I can do. They couldn't. So... they tried to make me some kind of biotic super soldier?"

"Yeah." Raan'ita said with a matching sigh. "And in doing so, they fused parts of your neural network into new pathways. Your cortex..." She paused as Anya stared at her. "Never mind, you are not a neurosurgeon. Basically, they made it much easier for you to get angry."

"Holy shit." Anya said with feeling. "Then... I _am_ a threat..."

"Yes, you are, Anya." Raan'ita said with a glower. "So am I. So is Crado. So is every other organic on this station!" She said with a snap. "How did you learn to control your biotics?"

"You think _practice_ is going to keep me from going berserk?" Anya asked dubiously. "Raan'ita... If I make a mistake..." She swallowed.

"Anya, when I make mistakes, people die." Raan'ita said with a shudder. "We ALL make mistakes, Anya. Even with synthesis and the various networks available. Even with all of us connected to each other, we _all_ make mistakes." Raan'ita's voice turned sharp. "Or do you think you are special? Unique? Privileged?"

"Please don't try to make me angry, Raan'ita." Anya said softly. "Please. I don't want to be angry now."

"Anya." Raan'ita said, her tone moderating. "That is my _point_. You just _chose_ not to get angry." She said with a wide smile. "This will not be easy, but in the end, it is _your_ choice. You _chose_ to go berserk on Benning. You _chose_ to go berserk on the Merciful Flight. You can _choose_ to go berserk or not."

"I..." Anya shook her head. "I don't remember choosing." She said, unsure.

"You didn't have all the options you have now, Anya. Pharmaceutical and otherwise." Raan'ita said with a nod. "I don't blame you for your responses on Benning. I don't blame you for what you did on the Merciful Flight. You are mortal, Anya. Flawed. And a good thing." She said, bowing her head. "You scare me, but it is a good thing."

"I don't mean to scare you, Raan'ita." Anya said, tears welling. "But I am scared. Someone WILL try that again. They WILL use the machine again, or try to."

"No, they won't." Raan'ita said with a snap. She beckoned Portia forward and Anya stared at the younger version of herself as Portia stepped forward to stand beside the quarian's chair. "Portia, you want to explain? It was your idea." Anya's eyes went wide, but she didn't speak.

"I had a thought, a few days ago." Portia said quietly. "I have been studying genetics in my lessons. I didn't know exactly what I was looking at, so I asked a bunch of questions. But something was bothering me, so I started researching." Anya nodded, unsure as to where this was going. "I am not the same as I was, before the energy pulsed when you woke up after being possessed. Neither are you, Anya."

"Portia, we are still genetically compatible with the machine." Anya said dubiously. "That didn't change."

"But we don't _have_ to be." Portia said with a smile. Anya's eyes went wide and Portia nodded. "I wasn't sure, so I asked a bunch of people. I think... I think people got tired of answering my questions. Raan'ita?" She asked the quarian who nodded.

"I didn't. I can't speak for anyone else. Go ahead, Portia." The quarian said kindly. "Anything you get wrong, I'll correct." Portia took a deep breath, steeling herself and then spoke again.

"When Synthesis happened, every organic and synthetic form of life in the galaxy was joined on a fundamental level. Our DNA was reworked." Portia said as if reciting. "But _who_ we are was not _changed_. I am still me, and you are still you." She said to Anya who nodded, obviously not following. "We have some...additions. But we are still who we were." Anya nodded again, still not following. "I wondered something. What would happen if something else were added? Something simple. A 'stop' command."

"I don't understand." Anya admitted.

"I am still not sure I do." Portia said with a sigh. "So I asked Obligatha." She looked at the ceiling. "Obligatha, can YOU explain?" Anya froze and Portia smiled. "It wanted to watch."

"Indeed." The female sounding voice of the Reaper that had found Anya when this whole thing had started sounded from a speaker. "Anya, we are so happy for you and proud of you. All of us all wish you a happy and healthy life with your family. On that note, Portia's idea has merit."

"It is good to hear your voice, Obligatha." Anya said with feeling. "And we are going to need some of those 'smart' diapers." She said with a nod to Crado who smirked.

"Your mates already asked for a set." Obligatha's voice was kind and warm. "We are pleased to help. Seeing new life come into it's own is...refreshing." The Reaper said with a smile in it's voice. "You have done marvels again, Anya Solinus."

"All I did this time was lose my temper, kill a bunch of soldiers who had no chance against me and then fall asleep." Anya said sourly. She opened her mouth to continue, but Obligatha cut her off.

"We are going to take a page from your healer friend Bri's book, Anya Solinus." Obligatha said. It's voice turned stern but...mocking? "Anya Solinus, hush." Anya stared at the ceiling and then went pink as everyone on the room laughed. When the Reaper spoke again, it was sad. "We know about rage, Anya Solinus. We know about anger and hate. The past is past, Anya Solinus." Obligatha said softly. Anya opened her mouth to protest and Obligatha cut her off. "What part of 'hush' do you not understand, Anya Solinus?" A laugh swept the room again. Anya shook her head, a _Reaper_ making a joke?

"I..." Anya shuddered a bit and then slumped. "Okay! Bri is bad enough. A Reaper emulating her?" She threw up her hands. "I surrender!" She said with a comical look of fear.

"Wise." The Reaper said with a snap that humorous. A sigh came from the hidden speaker and the voice turned serious again. "The machine that the people that became us designed was flawed in many ways. It was... what you humans call a 'rush job'." Anya nodded. "You were designed by your parents to be a key for that machine, but... Your genetics are _not_ as ours were. Our DNA was more..." Obligatha made a noise of consternation. "It is hard to describe. It wasn't a double helix, more a sphere. But not entirely."

"Well, you were not human." Anya said with the tone of speaking the obvious. "I am amazed your people managed to get it to work at all so quickly. Your people were incredible architects."

"Yes, we were." Obligatha said a bit wistfully. There was no pride in that statement, just sadness. "We designed the machine to be accessible by any of our people, so it needed to have some latitude in the access protocols since none of our people had the exact same genetic profile. That latitude is what your father sought to use."

"My father..." Anya paused. "What happened to him?"

"The Leviathans' death screams unhinged him." Raan'ita said with a nod. "He isn't faking." She added dryly when Anya looked doubtful. "They tell me he _may_ be able to be potty trained someday. Basic math is way beyond him." Anya looked sick but nodded. "He will spend the rest of his life in an institution. Forget him, Anya."

"I have been trying to forget him my entire life, Raan'ita." Anya said sadly. "Doubt I have any better chance now. But he is no longer a threat?" Raan'ita shook her head and Anya sighed deeply, relaxing. "So... What exactly do you propose, Portia?"

"Basically..." Portia was shivering a little under all this attention and Anya smiled at her and patted her bedside. Portia came close and sat, letting Anya wrap an arm around her. "Our problem is that our genetic code is set to prime the machine. It reads our code and responds. What if... It couldn't read the code?" Anya froze.

"Damaging yourself genetically is a _bad_ idea, Portia."Anya said with a small frown. "You _might_ want kids yourself someday."

"That is not what I meant." Portia said, focusing on Anya. "What I mean is the access protocols read the genetic code in a certain way. Right, Obligatha?"

"Indeed." The Reaper responded as if proud of Portia's memory. "That is it succinctly."

"And you want to...what?" Anya asked dubiously. "Mask or camouflage our genetics somehow so the machine can't read them?" She didn't think it was possible, that was clear from her tone.

"It's not impossible." Portia said with a nod. "Obligatha thinks that with some work, we can keep the machine from even realizing that the key is there. So _anyone_ can _build_ one of the machines..." She stopped short and Anya inhaled sharply.

"But it won't work even with me or you as a key." Anya said, her face furrowing as she thought. "I don't know. What would happen if we were put in one of those and it _didn't_ recognize us, Obligatha?"

"I can answer that, Anya." Jennifer said quietly. All eyes turned to her. "Mom and dad put me in it. It didn't work. They strapped me down, did all the things they did to you... But it didn't activate fully. What _did_ activate was nearly enough to kill me..." She said with a sigh. "But the control functions never turned on and the power supply never went unstable. I fought it, so they paralyzed me. That was a mistake. The paralytic reacted badly with the machine and nearly killed me." Kai and Melissa moved to her bedside and took her hands as she started to cry. "It didn't hurt. I... just... I was drifting to sleep. My vitals dropped like rock. I went from furious to lethargic in about five seconds. I nearly went comatose. All I could think was that I would see you again in heaven or hell, Anya...Maybe get the chance to apologize." Illia laid a hand on Jennifer's brow and crooned softly to her lover.

"Oh Jennifer..." Anya said in a heartbroken voice. "I am sorry."

"Not your fault." Jennifer said, scrubbing her face with her hands. "It will kill anyone who is _not_ the right genetics. But it will kill them gently. And if we _broadcast_ that you are not compatible anymore..."

"Some people won't believe it." Anya said with a nod. "So some precautions likely won't ever be amiss. But most? And those who have the wherewithal to do things like what happened to the Merciful Flight?" She nodded. "Speaking of that... What has the Council done?" She asked, half fearing the answer.

"Three daltrosses have been arrested." Kai said with a nod. "Dalatross Lindron is dead. She took poison before Spectre Williams could take her into custody. From what I understand, the accused will be spending a _great_ deal of time on the Citadel, explaining themselves. And _not_ living in the lap of luxury if I know _anything_ about that Spectre." She said with a wide smile now.

"Probably not." Anya said with a grin. Spectre Ashley Williams was a lot of things, politically correct was _not_ one of them. She sighed and ruffled Portia's short hair. "Do you all have an idea of how to do this? Mask our genetics?"

"Ah... Yes. We have talked about various methods and think we have come up with a good one." Portia said, looking uncomfortable. "But..."

"But?"Anya asked slowly. "But what?"

"You are too weak to try it, Anya." Portia said quietly. Anya stiffened in instant rebellion. Kai, Melissa and Jennifer all stared at Portia but the girl sat up straight. "Obligatha and Raan'ita say it shouldn't hurt, but... it is going to be a shock to the system." Anya shook her head, but the nine year old stuck to her guns. "Anya." Portia said calmly. "We _need_ to find out if it works and _you_ are not going to be back on your feet for awhile." She said calmly.

"Portia..." Anya said softly, dazed. "I... I can't do that to you."

"You are not." Portia said, still in that same calm voice. "I am asking the clan's permission to pursue this. To investigate. This is _my_ choice, Anya. I want to help." Anya stared at the girl who was and wasn't a younger version of herself and then, with a sharp cry, embraced Portia hard. "Whoa!" Portia said, freezing. "Anya?" She asked, her tone worried. Anya was crying.

"So brave..." Anya said between her sobs. "You are so brave, Portia. I wish... I wish I was stronger."

"I am not going to lie, Anya." Portia said sadly as she hugged Anya back. "I am scared. I have no idea _what_ this is going to do to me. Obligatha and Raan'ita both assure me it won't hurt, but..." She grimaced. "I...I don't..." She shook herself and snarled softly. "I don't blame you for fear, Anya. I am scared out of my mind. But someone has to test it. Obligatha says it can mimic the sequences closely enough to gauge whether or not the machine would respond to me. If the sequence doesn't respond to me..."

"Then it likely won't respond to me either." Anya said with a nod. "When do you want to do this?"

"The sooner the better." Portia replied quietly. "Bri said she wanted your opinion first. But she said it wouldn't take long to set up."

"Portia, are you-...?"Anya started to say and then smiled. "No. No, you are not sure about this, are you?" She asked kindly. Portia shook her head and Anya sighed. "Raan'ita?" She asked, concerned.

"It's...not something we have ever looked at before, Anya." Raan'ita said uneasily. "Obligatha, Bri and I have been looking into it since Portia brought the idea up a few days ago. I...didn't have a lot else to do..." Anya's eyes narrowed and Raan'ita nodded. "The drugs the salarians gave me...really messed me up. Maybe permanently." At that, Anya's eyes went wide and she felt them start to burn. Raan'ita held up a hand. "The Council is investigating, and the Merciful Flight...Well... It needs some repairs."

"I am sorry I broke you ship, Raan'ita." Anya said sadly. She paused as Raan'ita scoffed.

"I am not." The quarian said with a smile. Everyone stared at her and Raan'ita shrugged. "Your team blew the hell out of the bridge and engineering, but it kept the salarians from jumping to FTL when Tali arrived. Well, that and your...massive distraction." She said with a smile that faltered when Anya gave a small cry and put her face in her hands. "Anya!" Raan'ita snapped. "It's okay." Portia hugged her sister tight and Anya relaxed a little.

"Doesn't feel okay." Anya said with a sigh. She shook herself and looked at Crado who nodded soberly. Anya sighed again and hugged Portia tighter. "You have our permission, Portia." She hugged Portia so tight the girl gave a squeak. "Come back to us."

"Ease up, sis." Portia said with a snap. "I need those ribs." Anya smiled but released most of her hold. Portia bowed her head. "I never knew what a real family was. Now... I don't know how I ever lived without you crazy fools."

"You didn't live, Portia." Kai said in a reflective voice. "You survived. It's not the same. Come on, let's get you to Bri." Anya gave Portia another hug and let go as the girl kissed her on the cheek. Portia slid off the bed and walked to where Kai stood. She took the former Phantom's hand in her own and the pair left the room in silence.

"We will... Uh..." Melissa shrugged. "We will make sure the parties stay under control." Anya's eyes narrowed and Melissa grinned. "Your team is celebrating. I... I am here for you, sis." Melissa said sadly. Anya stared as she and Chris strode out the door too.

"Crado?" She asked curiously. He wouldn't meet her gaze. He seemed embarrassed. "Raan'ita?" The quarian didn't reply, instead started working on a n apparatus nearby. "Jennifer?" Anya asked. "Illia? What is everyone setting me up for?"

"This is not going to be fun for you, Anya." Raan'ita said in a sad voice. "But... Your amp and implant have been deactivated for the moment." Anya nodded, unsure. "You know... Scholar told you that you would have trouble nourishing your kid." She snorted and corrected herself. "Kids."

"A powerful, unstable biotic around two little kids? Oh hell no!" Anya snapped. "And... That is what the formula is for, right?" Anya asked, dubious.

"Yes." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Bri found samples in Scholar's lab. We used those to synthesize the formula. We have a good supply. But... To keep making it..." Was she _embarrassed?_ "We have most of the substances we need, but... We think we need a special base ingredient."

"Whatever my kids need, Raan'ita." Anya said, mystified. "I want them healthy."

"Anya." Raan'ita's voice was super soft now. "You never finished the pregnancy. Your body didn't completely adjust to kids." Anya's eyes narrowed and Raan'ita nodded. "You never started lactating." Anya's eyes went wide and she swallowed heavily.

"Ah..." Anya looked at her husband and he took her hand in his. "That's... milk production, right?" She asked, not really needing the clarification, but needing time to think. Raan'ita nodded, her face sad but kind. Anya took several deep breaths and sat back. "What do I need to do?" She asked.

"We are not sure if your milk will work, Anya." Raan'ita said heavily. "Your kids are hybrids. As far as I have been able to find, this has never happened before. If it doesn't, then we CAN synthesize something. Your kids _will_ live either way, but..." She shook her head.

"What do you need me to do?" Anya demanded. "I know my career is over, Raan'ita. I don't _want_ to be a soldier again. I have two very good tiny reasons not to now. What do you need?"

"Anya..." Raan'ita's voice was calm and gentle but then she sighed. "Help?" She asked the rachni who hadn't moved.

_"Anya."_ The soothing rachni melody swept over Anya and she relaxed. _"Be calm."_ C-Flat Citrine's voice was comforting as she stepped closer to Anya's bed. From the looks, only Anya and Illia could understand it, but everyone relaxed when she did. _"For almost all of your adult life, your life has been soldiering. Pain and suffering and loss have left their marks on you._" One of the whip-like appendages came down and Anya grasped it in both hands, grateful for the comfort the rachni was projecting. _"This is a monumental change, Anya."_ Anya smiled. It had taken a bit of work to get the rachni to call her just plain 'Anya'. _"Your body will shift. Your mind likewise. We will help."_

"I appreciate it, C-Flat Citrine." Anya said aloud, feeling the care and compassion the rachni projected into her soother her as it always did. "What will happen, Raan'ita?"

"There will be pain, Anya." Raan'ita said soberly. "There is no way to do it without at the moment. I can't give you painkillers and the rachni cannot soothe you either until the procedure is done or it may mess things up."

"Sour the milk..." Anya said slowly. "Bad." She agreed. "But pain can too, right? The chemicals that make up pain sensations will react with the glands or whatever, right?"

"You are not going to be producing milk for a couple of days, Anya." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "Or... You _shouldn't_..." She said quietly as Anya hugged the rachni's claw to her like a stuffed animal. "I am not entirely clear on everything Scholar did, but he didn't seem to work on that part of you."

"And we are not going to ask." Anya said flatly. She laid her had back and released the rachni's tendril, but it didn't retract it. She smiled at C-Flat Citrine and then nodded to Raan'ita. "Do what you have to."

Raan'ita patted her hand and started pulling gear up and laying it on the bed beside Anya. Crado rose and closed the privacy curtain around the bed. Then he stepped to Jennifer's side. Illia looked up at him, her eyes welling.

"Jennifer..." Crado said as a grunt came from behind the curtain. He jerked, but didn't move as Jennifer and Illia both took his hands. "I..." Anya screamed and he spun, but Illia rose and held him. "No! I have to..."

"Crado, you can't. If you stop her, she won't forgive it." Illia said sharply. "She _chose_ this, Crado. She chose this..." She said, tears falling as he slumped in her hands and started to cry as an animal sound of pain came from the curtain. "She is doing this for your kids. I..." Illia was shaking as another sound of pain came. Was Anya biting something? It sounded like it. "Sit." She said sharply, guiding him to her chair. When he sat, she sat on his lap, holding him. The sounds tapered off and now all that was heard was a whimpering. In many ways, that was worse than the screams.

"Crado." Raan'ita's voice was soft. "It's done." Illia was up and Crado in motion before the doctor had finished speaking. Crado pulled back the curtain to see his wife lying in the bed, her face pale. She had no obvious injuries, but a sheet covering her chest and irregularities showed underneath it. He did not look closely.

"I bit you..." Anya's voice was apologetic as she held out hand to the rachni. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to, C-Flat Citrine." She held out hand to where the rachni was standing, a green red mark on the claw Anya had been holding.

_"Not your fault."_ The rachni said with a mental wince. _"You needed the comfort, and the claws are stronger than the chitin."_

"C-Flat Citrine says it isn't your fault, Anya." Illia said as she knelt by the rachni and nodded. "Superficial. What did you do? Put it in her _mouth_?" The asari asked incredulous. Crado stared from his wife to the rachni and back.

_"She needed something to focus on besides the pain. Biting down helped her. I have few pain receptors in that claw."_ The rachni said easily. Then her voice turned sad. _"I wish I could have stopped it from hurting, Anya."_

"It's all right, C-Flat Citrine." Anya said as she lay back, her breath coming in gasps. "Not something I _ever_ want to go through again, but if it helps my kids..." Anya sighed, memories of pain fading. "Raan'ita?" She asked, fearful.

"It's done." Raan'ita said with a shiver. "I know that hurt, and I am sorry."

"Hurt less than getting hit by a Banshee." Anya said, slowly relaxing. "Please tell me I don't have to go through that again..."

"Ah, no." Raan'ita said with a shudder. "You will have discomfort, but not like that. Even if something goes wrong, we will be able to fix things fairly easily. This... jump started you."

"I have a brand new appreciation for hover cars with dead batteries." Anya said with a slightly sick smile. "Crado..."

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again." Crado said as he sat by her bed. He took her hand and gave a squeeze. Raani'ta smiled and wheeled her chair away. The rachni moved away with Illia hovering. Raan'ita looked at the asari and Illia smiled and closed the privacy curtain again.

"Not if I can help it." Anya said in a sick tone as she lay back. "Not if I can help it."

"That wasn't a 'no'." Crado said with a snap. "Do I have to get the whip?" He demanded.

"No." Anya said with a feigned winced that turned into a real one. "Don't... Don't make me laugh, Crado..." He touched her cheek gently. "Hurts..."

"Doc?" Crado called.

"Give it all a little while to set, Crado, Anya." Raan'ita said sadly. "_Then_ we can ease it."

"Right." Anya said with a sigh. "Okay. To business. Nira?"

"In our quarters." Crado said with a nod. "She is still a bit shocky. The rachni are not hopeful for regenerating her legs after so long, but they MAY have some idea of why her nerves keep rejecting replacements. Granli submitted the forms to the Vakarian clan and we are waiting for a response."

"Right." Anya said, relaxing more. "I saw Kia, how is she doing?"

"She seems to be holding it together." Crado said with a nod. "And..." he paused, his eyes twinkling. "It's early, but your plan might have worked."

"All we did is introduce Kai and Quincy, Crado." Anya said with a solemn nod that was spoiled by the twinkle in her eye. "Nothing more."

"Riiiight." Crado said with a smile.

"You hush." Anya said with a scowl. "What else is new?"

"We have cops now." Crado replied offhandedly. "Krogan cops at that." Anya stared at him, unsure if he was joking. "No joke, Garrus is training them in police procedures. Melissa expressed some interest too."

"I thought it was a joke..." Anya said slowly, dazed. "When she said our world had changed."

"Nope." Crado replied. "Anyway... On the facility. Remodeling is almost done, we have a basis for a faculty and..." Anya sat back and listened with a bemused smile as he elaborated their future.


	91. Chapter 91

**Two weeks later**

"Well..." Anya said with a smile as she finished putting her children in the specially rigged stroller. She shook her head slowly. "I guess it's time." She said as she smoothed her new dress a bit self consciously. Formal civilian attire hadn't been her thing since she was eighteen. It did _not_ feel right. It was too soft for one, and offered next to no protection for another... She sighed.

"Yeah." Crado said with a smile as he stood nearby. His normal armor was replaced by a _very_ rarely worn dress uniform. The colors were not typical turian military however. He wore the red and black of their wartime N7 Special Ops team proudly. She thought he looked particularly dashing with all his medals on it. He noticed her scrutiny and shook his head. "Trappings don't matter, Anya. You know this."

"I do." Anya agreed. She flinched a bit and he looked worried, but she shook her head. "Don't worry. It's just the aftereffects of the treatment that Raan'ita and Obligatha gave me. Portia..." She turned to the side and her sister/daughter scowled where she stood against the wall, out of the way. She had learned that if she _did_ get in the way, she usually got handed a baby.

"You should be over those by now." Portia said, her face worried. She wore a dress as if as uncomfortable in it as Anya was. Likely she was. "Mine only lasted three days. It's been five for you. Should I...?" She pause as Anya smiled a bit wistfully.

"Don't bother Raan'ita, Bri or Obligatha. We know what it is. I am not nine, Portia." Anya said with a small, sad grin. "It's going to take longer for me to recover from the genetic changes. At least they worked and Obligatha can't sense me or you when it tried to emulate the control machine coding. Add to that the nanites..."

She scowled in memory, but the memory didn't hurt anymore. Raan'ita had tried, but Anya's unique physiological makeup had prevented her from being able to control Anya's temper with drugs. Indeed, drugs had adverse effects on Anya now. Finding that out had been...unpleasant. At least she hadn't had biotics! And she hadn't hurt anyone but herself struggling with the restraints she was SO glad she had insisted on before Raan'ita had managed to calm her. With Bri to help, and Obligatha's somewhat dubious -at first anyway- assistance, they had come up with an alternative. Anya's own body would provide the calming agents, with a little help from Reaper nanites. Totally natural, well, except for the nanites. Anya didn't totally understand all the esoteric medical gobbledygook, but she wasn't angry and she would hopefully stay that way, so it was fine.

"I have been meaning to ask..." Crado said. His face was set, but his voice held the tone of a person trying not to be too curious. "Do you...feel them?"

"If you are asking if it _hurts_, no." Anya said with a nod. "But I _can_ feel them there. They are..." She shook her head. "I can't define it. At least it's not a million little feet crawling all over my insides." Both Portia and Crado looked sick at that, but Anya shrugged. "it's weird, but deal-able with."

"Weird is our middle name." Portia said with a grin. "The kids?" Anya smiled at her sister/daughter and then at her son and daughter. Both snoozed in the stroller. She shook her head slightly.

The stroller had been a gift from the krogan in general, clan Urdnot in particular. This stroller had been sent with a card from Eve, Urdnot Wrex's significant other. Or he was hers. It was odd. The stroller had ample room for both twins and storage for things like bottles, diapers, towels... The usual. It also had a built in omni-tool with a comlink and dedicated emergency environmental support system. The whole thing could be sealed in seconds and had enough life support to last for over a day without replenishing. Wonderful peace of mind for a parent on a space station. But... Only a krogan stroller would have buttons on the control panel for 'Armor', 'Kinetic Barrier' and 'Anti-Personnel Munitions '... Anya really _didn't_ want to try the last one. Well, _most_ of her didn't. Some of the press...

"I am stalling." Anya said quietly. "I don't want to do this, Crado..." She said in a wheedling tone. "Can we run away?" Crado raised an eyeridge expressively and looked at her and Anya sighed. "Drat."

"It's not every day the Council leaves the Citadel, Anya." Crado said quietly. "You know this."

"Yeah." Anya said sadly. "I do. But..."

"Anya." Crao said, stepping forward to take his wife in his arms gently. "It's okay. _No one_ is going to try anything."

"So much protection gathered in this area,.." Anya said with s cowl. "The _Destiny Ascension_ for goodness sakes..." She blew out a breath and shook her head. "I am overwhelmed."

"Of course you are." Crado said, well aware of his wife's inner struggles. "You were a celebrity _before_ the krogan got on the bandwagon. Now?" Anya shuddered.

You would think a small thing like preventing another attempt at genocide on the krogan would be swept under the rug. Not so. Within days of Anya coming out of her long snooze, krogan support had started to come to Anya and her dream of a school. Construction teams, funding, materials... It was insane. _All_ of them were polite to Anya and her people! Even the krogan cops that Garrus had finally said were 'passable' were baffled by this un-krogan-like behavior. Melissa was on her guard, but then again, she rarely wasn't. Anya thought she would make a fine police officer. Chris was also looking into it, preferring enforcing the law to killing. Anya approved wholeheartedly. If she hadn't had two little reasons not to go into anything dangerous, she might have taken to the idea herself. Anya's musing broke off abruptly as the door to their room opened and Raan'ita came in.

"Are you two done canoodling?" Raan'ita asked sourly.

"Canoodling?" Anya asked, incredulous. Then her smile lit the room. "Raan'ita! I am impressed! A new word."

But it was hard to keep the smile. Raan'ita was using a cane, and likely always would. It wasn't that she was weak, far from it. But the drugs that the hijackers of her ship had introduced into her system had hurt her, very badly. She wore her enviro suit. She had to. Her immune system had taken the brunt of the damage, but her nerves were also a mess. She couldn't be a surgeon again, not with her fine motor control shot to pieces. Anya tried to be bright and cheery for her friend. She had to keep telling herself that Raan'ita was alive. The rachni and Obligatha were working overtime with Bri to try and find away to repair the damage, but for now... Raan'ita shook her head and even through the opaque visor a scowl could be seen.

"Don't. Start." Raan'ita said with a snap. "You will wake the kids." The quarian doctor said with a sigh. "Come on, Portia, let's get these two to their place and let their parents decide if they want to stand up the Councilors or not." Portia snickered at Anya's expression, but nodded. She ran to Anya, hugged her sister tight and then released Anya to give Crado a hug. Then she took the control bar of the stroller and pushed it from the room.

"She makes me feel old..." Anya complained. Her tone was mostly humorous. Mostly. "Raan'ita? Time?'

"You have time, Anya." The quarian said gently. "You okay?" She said as she stepped closer and laid an arm around Anya to give her friend a squeeze.

"Scared." Anya admitted, her face like autumn. "This isn't something I ever trained for."

"You will do fine, Anya." Raan'ita continued in that same gentle tone. "Everyone makes mistakes. You have made a difference. You can _keep_ making a difference. We believe in you, Anya." She said softly, hugging her friend again. "Do you believe in yourself?" She asked, her scrutiny obvious even through the opaque visor.

"Most of the time." Anya said, looking away.

"The dream still?" Raan'ita asked, worry plain now.

"Dreams. Plural. Stuck in a tank while unseen shadows hurt me. Strapped to a table, things hurting me. My mom there and gloating..." Anya's voice could have frozen a star. "Yeah." She was shivering as Raan'ita hugged her again and Crado came close to add his support. "Some big, tough warrior, huh?" She asked. "I know it's just reaction to all the ups and downs, but... I dunno..." She trailed off, unclear as to how to verbalize her problems.

"You were not a warrior, Anya. You were a soldier." Crado spoke into the absolute silence that fell at Anya's words. "You fought as part of a team. And this is still a team effort."

"I know..." Anya said, her voice barely audible. "But I keep thinking... Talking to the counselors... I have time to think. Too much? Is this real? Am I going to wake up in Scholar's lab? In a Cerberus one? Is this all a dream? While my life bleeds out of me on Sanctum? I..." Her rambling broke off as Raan'ita slapped her, and not lightly. "Hey!"

When she looked at the quarian, she froze. Raan'ita was crying. No sound was heard, the suit had excellent auditory bafflers, but the shaking was obvious. Anya pulled Raan'ita close and held her. All she could do was hold her friend while Raan'ita cried for both of them. Finally the quarian calmed a little.

"I don't blame you, Anya." Raan'ita said with a sigh. "I have the same dreams. I am back in the chair and they are torturing my kids." Heartbreak sounded in her voice. Anya froze and then hugged her friend tight. "Oof..." Raan'ita complained, half humorous. "I need those ribs, Anya."

"What do we do, Raan'ita?" Anya asked, her tone one step removed from terror.

"What can we ever do, Anya?" Raan'ita asked sadly. "We go on. We talk to Kelly and Lisa. They are good." Raan'ita nodded when Anya did. Anya had a fond smile on her face and Raan'ita from her tone had a similar one. Then again, Kelly Chambers and Lisa Kornis had moved in together. No one knew if the relationship would last, but since the two of them were always relaxed now... No one minded. Their personal life was their business. But Raan'ita was speaking again. "We cannot hold this in, Anya. We cannot."

"I know." Anya said, shuddering. "Aw hell..." She stared at Crado's uniform. It had tears spots on it. "I..."

"Anya." Crado said with a sigh. "No one _cares_ if my uniform is rumpled. Come on, we can't be late for the opening ceremony."

"Tevos was covering for us." Raan'ita said with a nod. "But she _did_ say she might send Aria to look for you if you didn't get off your duff."

"_Aria_ is here?" Anya asked, staring around as if expecting the queen of Omega to spring out of the woodwork.

"Anya, _everyone_ is here." Raan'ita said with a laugh that soured around the chamber as if on wings. "This is a big moment. Everyone sent representatives." Now her voice turned into something that might scare a krogan. A sane one anyway. "Even the Alliance. At least Hackett didn't come. He would have been lynched."

"_Admiral_ Hackett did what he had to Raan'ita." Anya shook her head. Raan'ita didn't understand and likely never would. "I don't _like_ what happened, but he was covering his bases, that was his _job_."

"Any asari could have told him -them- that what they were doing was stupid." Raan'ita was not cowed by Anya's change in mood. Far from it, they still disagreed on a lot of things. Everyone moved when they really got into it. "But no, they just _had_ to figure it out on their own. And how many _other_ soldiers did they kill in the process? You _know_ they didn't _just_ do it to you."

"Raan'ita." Anya said in a tone that ended the argument before it could start. Heaven knew they had argued enough over the last few weeks, both recovering, strengthening, healing. She shook herself. "Please, I don't want to argue today. Please?" She asked, half begging.

"Okay." The quarian said with a sigh. "But now. Scat!" She made a shooing gesture and Anya smiled at her friend as she and Crado headed for the door.

"Crado." Anya said calmly as Raan'ita turned to follow. "Don't let her strain." Raan'ita had time for a quick squeak before she was lifted up in strong arms and carried as easily as Anya or Raan'ita might carry a child. Crado hadn't lost his trained strength.

"Put me _down_, you lout!" Raan'ita said sharply as the door opened in front of Anya. The guards outside the door turned to see what was happening. Anya shook her head at them and then both protheans nodded and turned back to their posts. "Anya!" The doctor said with a scowl that was visible even with her face covered, swinging her cane and connecting to Crado's legs but not doing any real damage.

"Be glad that Bri is letting you walk." Anya said mildly as she started off. "She won't let Jenni out of her chair for a while." Crado followed, the two protheans taking up warding positions behind. All of them ignoring the quarian's increasingly impassioned cries. They reached a cross corridor and Anya paused. "Crado." She said, command in her tone. The turian nodded and gently set Raan'ita back on her feet. She took a moment to be sure of her footing before swatting at him with her cane. He stood there silently and let it rebound off his scales. Anya shook her head. "Let's go. Wouldn't want to be any later than we are."

As Anya walked forward, towards where a pair of asari stood guard at a door, she felt other presences with her. She couldn't see them or hear them, but she knew they were there. Human, turian, asari, salarian, batarian, quarian, geth, krogan, vorcha, drell... Her back straightened as she walked to the doors ahead of her and nodded to the guards, who saluted her.

"I am not in uniform." Anya protested.

"Doesn't matter." The right hand asari said in a voice weathered with age, loss and pain. "You earned it."

"It _does_." Anya said sharply. "Salutes are rendered between uniformed military personnel. Without discipline, what are soldiers?" The asari who had spoken didn't move, and neither lowered their salutes. Anya shook her head, straightened to attention and then returned their salutes with a crisp one of her own. She dropped hers and the asari dropped theirs. "I would have thought huntresses would know better..." Anya groused.

"That wasn't for the military. That was for us, Ma'am." The younger of the two said with a nod. "No one else. We had to thank you." Anya's eyes narrowed and the asari nodded. "We were in the processing facility your team hit on Thessia. Both of us were a mess. Your team got us out."

"I am glad you made it." Anya said in the silence that fell as Crado and Raan'ita came up. "Too many didn't."

"Yes, Ma'am." The older one said with a sigh. "It's an honor to meet you, Ma'am. But the Council is waiting."

"And I am late." Anya said with a sigh. "Is it as crazy as I fear?"

"Worse." The commando on the left said sourly. "But no one is going to try anything." Anya just looked at the asari and the female alien smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Between the Council's security forces, _Aria_'s security forces and _your_ security forces... No." She shook her head. "No one is going to try anything."

"Has it been totally SNAFU?" Anya asked sourly. SNAFU- Military speak for 'Situation normal all fucked up'. The asari looked at one another and then smiled at Anya. "What?" Anya demanded.

"It's been...remarkably coherent and straightforward." The asari admitted. "I have _never_ seen a high level diplomatic function come off so easily. Makes me wonder what the universe is setting us up for."

"All I want is a some peace and quiet to raise my kids." Anya said sadly. "I have fought for too long, done too much. I am tired." Anya's voice was suddenly old and tired, her face far away and her eyes... Her eyes stared off at something only she could see. The older asari nodded soberly.

"And you think running a school will be easier?" The asari asked, her tone carefully neutral.

"No." Anya admitted. "But _hopefully_, I won't have people shooting at me every day."

"Point." The asari said with a smile. Then she straightened and her voice turned formal. "They are ready for you, Captains Solinus." Without turning, she palmed the door open. Both asari braced to attention again as the door opened to an expectant hush. Anya stepped forward with Crado at her side, Raan'ita walking gingerly a few steps behind.

The stage was packed, and Anya could see various bigwigs even from behind the curtain that hid her and Crado from immediate view of the huge crowd that had gathered for this event. Urdnot Wrex and his chosen mate sat near one side. Garrus Vakarian sat near the other, a small form in a wheelchair at his side. Aria T'Loak leered widely at Anya and Crado from behind her hand. But her eyes were twinkling. Asari, turian, salarian and human dignitaries sat in the group and other forms stood silent around the walls. Spectre Williams looked at Anya from a place in the shadows and a wide wink graced one eye. She didn't stop looking around. To Anya's surprise, one of the turians was Commander Mornis, the turian captain who had found her floating in a Cerberus pod. He gave a small nod and a smile when he saw her.

_{I have come full circle it seems...}_ Anya thought with a mental sigh.

A wheeled chair had been set up behind the curtain and Anya nodded to Raan'ita and then to the chair. Raan'ita shrugged and then nodded and sat. Anya smiled as she and Crado walked to the edge of the curtain. All the groups eyes were on her now and she swallowed, strangely hesitant. Councilor Tevos stood in the center of the stage and nodded to Anya.

"And now, it is my distinct pleasure..." The asari councilor said in a tone that was both hard and gentle at the same time. "To present someone who really needs no introduction. You all know her personally or know of her. Her deeds are myriad and many are classified and cannot be spoke of even today. Serving her people, fighting the reapers and preventing genocide are but a few of the many, many things this extraordinary human has done. But few know the whole story." Tevos said with a sad smile. "Now you can."

_{No!}_ Anya thought with a wince. _{She isn't...}_

"The woman known as Anya was born on Earth, into a family that knew wealth and privilege." Tevos said in a soft tone. "She disdained that life, sought another. She had no way of knowing that her entire life had been a lie, that she had been created to serve an evil purpose. She found her calling in the System's Alliance military, where she excelled. She served her people well and bravely. She fought, bled and suffered for her people. Many called her extraordinary. She did not."

Anya was shaking her head in denial, but Crado laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"During the war with the Reapers,..." The asari council continued,. "Anya commanded a team of irregulars. The public called them N7 Special Ops. They called themselves Darkstorms." A shout came from the crowd.

"**HOO-AH!**"

Anya stiffened. How many throats had that shout come from?

"Hoo-ah indeed." Tevos said with a grin. One that faltered. "We all remember the war. Khar-shan, Earth, Palaven, Thessia..." The asari took a deep breath and then let it out. "The terrible losses that were sustained, the colonies that simply ceased to be... The children left without parents. The parents that lost their children..." Crado looked stricken and Anya laid a hand on HIS shoulder. "It was the worst time in recorded history. We needed help." Tevos said with a catch to her voice. "We needed heroes. We got them." Tevos looked to the side and smiled. "It is my distinct pleasure to introduce Captain Anya Solinus, N7, Systems Alliance Special Forces."

Anya stepped forward despite the butterflies in her stomach and did not pause as she saw the hall, the HUGE auditorium that had been set up was packed to the gills. Hundreds of beings sat in rows, the first few rows were packed with forms in familiar black and red armor. It looked like every member of her team that could walk were present. Anya felt a pang as she saw forms that hadn't even been there for the party on the Wings of Xenobia. Then her heart froze as she saw a gurney. Mara Simmons lay on it, her face intent. The woman had lost the use of one side of her body when an Atlas had stepped on her. Her indomitable will had kept her alive, and her stubbornness kept her from stagnating. She was confined to her bed, but her mind was still sharp. Anya felt Crado stop in place a step back as Tevos held out a hand to her.

"Captain." The Councilor said with a smile.

"Councilor." Anya said with a nod as she took the councilor's hand and shook.

"The mike is all yours." Tevos said as she stepped back to where her colleagues sat. Valern, Sparatus and Norifica all were intent. Anya looked about the sea of faces, some she knew and many she did not. She took a deep breath and then spoke.

"I hate to do it, but I have to. I have to contradict a councilor." Anya said with a small frown. "I am _not_ extraordinary. I _served_ with extraordinary people, far too many of whom are only present in spirit." She shook her head.

"I was raised to believe that the only person who mattered was me. That the end always justified the means. I don't think it will come to anyone's surprise that I did not take kindly to that." A polite laugh circulated and a muted guffaw came from where Wrex was sitting. "But..." Anya said in a voice of painful neutrality. "My birth family did one thing for me. They taught me the value of learning. Without education, I never would have had the courage to run away. Indeed, I wouldn't have known where to go, or what to do. Oh, they didn't _intend_ that to happen." Anya said with a nod to where Melissa, Jennifer, Kai and Portia sat in the very front row. All four nodded back. "We were supposed to be ignorant tools, breeding stock, raw material for our parents to use for their evil schemes. I retreated to books, my sisters to other pursuits. But the horrors we endured marked us all. We didn't know what was happening, we didn't understand what was happening. We were children." Anya said, musing.

"The changing point for me..." Anya said slowly. "I was thirteen. I visited a library." She smiled a bit fondly. "Actually, I snuck out, looking for a good time and found the Santiago library instead. Family security were tracking me of course, but I gave them the slip. I was good at that." She said with a grin and a chuckle swept the room. "There was a school group in there, talking about books, working on projects, the usual things for school age peer groups to do. I was intrigued, I had never done that kind of thing. I hung around, listened. I was curious. I had been schooled by tutors, ones who had been carefully instructed what to teach me and what NOT to." Anya said with a scowl. "I learned more in thirty minutes of listening to that group that I had in seven _years_ of tutors. I learned that I didn't know it all, that I had to learn more. In the end, that simple decision -to learn more- led me here. My story is painful. It left scars, both physical and mental that may never fade." She paused and then continued.

"You all know why you are here." Anya said with a nod. "This was a Cerberus space station. I will not go into the history of Cerberus, that is for another time. What matters is that now, it is _not_ a Cerberus station. To fight fanaticism, we need to learn." Anya said earnestly. "I decided that _this_ will be a center of learning. In this place beings of like mind can come to seek knowledge. Knowledge is power and a terrible burden. I know things that to this day terrify me. I know things that make me wake up, screaming in the night. But even with that burden, it is better to know these things. Ignorance is a curse. It may _seem_ like bliss, but that is an illusion, one I fully intend to shatter." A shout of approval came from the crowd and Anya smiled as she gathered her thoughts.

"This school..." Anya said with a nod to Garrus who nodded back. "The Jane Shepard-Vakarian Center for Learning, has been designed from the very beginning to be cross species. To be adaptable to serve any who wish to come and learn. If you come and wish to learn, then no matter your species, or your history we will teach you..." A hand shot up near the front of the room and Anya paused. "Yes?"

"A question if I may?" Drolis rose from where he had been sitting, his red and black armor prominent.

"Was that one question or two?" Anya asked. A titter swept the room, but Drolis didn't move, although he DID smile. "Go ahead."

"What are your intentions about my people?" Drolis asked, his posture and tone formal.

"If they come, and wish to learn, and can be courteous to others, then I have no problem with any." Anya paused. "However, this place WILL be as secure as we can make it. The attack on Grissom Academy during the war showed just how far some will go to steal the future. We cannot allow that." Drolis nodded and sat. Anya looked around, smiling. "Any _other_ questions?" No one spoke and Anya nodded. "Then it is my great privilege to formally open the Jane Shepard-Vakarian Center for Learning. Our first class will arrive next week and..." Applause started an Anya broke off as it began to rise in volume. In seconds, everyone was clapping. Many rose to their feet.

**Nearby**

In a shadowy corner, two indistinct forms watched Anya blush.

"She deserves it." A soft voice said as Anya tried to quell the standing ovation. "I don't understand why you brought me." The form was prothean, but... shadowy. As if it wasn't really there.

"You could have obeyed Leviathan to the letter." The other form said in a soft female voice. "Made her a vegetable again when you found her higher brain functions returning. Why didn't you?"

"Maybe I should have." The first voice said sadly. "But... When she spoke me, something kindled to life again. Something that burns even now. I had forgotten what love was. I lost it, lost it to the Empire, to the Reapers and then to Leviathan. She reminded me. I couldn't wipe her mind." He sighed. "And even if I had tried? The implant was designed to resist tampering. Destroying it would have killed her. I was expressly forbidden that even before the Leviathans found out about the control machine."

"They wanted her as a breeder." The female voice said slowly. "And... the rest?"

"Bri didn't know what she was doing. Harbinger didn't know what _it_ was doing." The male voice replied. "It wasn't Bri's fault." The voice sighed. "I guess it really wasn't Harbinger's fault either. They couldn't change her, remake her, without losing what they wanted. So they kept her confined. And as soon as she was able..."

"She tried to escape." The female voice turned unfriendly.

"Yeah." The male voice replied. "Look, I wasn't there until the very last time. She shouldn't have been able to _move!_ Half her _skull_ was still gone!" He sighed again. "I was putting her back together and had to take a break. When I did, she woke up, and ran off. We managed to excise the memories that she had of me. I would have tranked her, but she used biotics. She shouldn't have been able to, so... I had to stop her."

"You shot her and then put her in the tank." The female voice said, distinctly unfriendly now.

"I did." The male voice said soberly. "What I did to her... asking her help... It was a calculated move based on what I had heard when she spoke before. She was always concerned with others, never herself." The male voice sighed again. "I never expected for her to have such an impact. On the children and on me." Both shadowy forms turned to where Anya was introducing some of the new faculty now. "She will make a good teacher."

"That she will." The female voice said with a glower that was audible instead of visible. "Come on, _we_ have work to do. A lot of it. But you needed to see her finally find closure." Both paused as an incredulous voice sounded from nearby. A figure had been patrolling the edges and come upon them while they were distracted.

"Skipper?" Ashley Williams stared at the two forms, her mouth ajar. The crescendo of applause hid her exclamation of shock as the shadowy forms resolved into holograms of a prothean and a human female in familiar armor. The prothean was Scholar, the traitor who had killed C-Flat Viridian and taken Anya and Portia to the Leviathans. But it was the _other_ one who had the Spectre freezing in the act of drawing her gun.

"See you around, Ash." Jane Shepard Vakarian said with a familiar lopsided grin as she and Scholar vanished, leaving the Spectre to stare at where they had been.


	92. End notes

**Cast**

(OC is Original Character)

**Humans**

Anya (Wilson-Fuentes, Solinus) -human female Alliance N7 Fury (OC) Protagonist and utter badass biotic. DO NOT underestimate her or you WILL regret it. Briefly.

Miranda Lawson -Former Cerberus operative Yes, she married a man named Lawson, go figure.

Ashley Williams -Alliance soldier Second human Spectre. 'nuff said.

Sarah Norifica -Third Human Councilor (OC) Former Cerberus, but not evil

Karin Chakwas -Medical Officer Normandy SR2 Yes, she is still around and kicking.

James Vega -Alliance soldier Figured him for a N7 Destroyer, pretty much a no brainer.

Stephen Hackett -Former Alliance supreme commander Decided he would be more 'gray' than paragon or renegade

Kai Wilson Fuentes (Solinus) -Cerberus Phantom (OC) She is a mess. A DANGEROUS one.

Melissa Wilson-Fuentes (Solinus) -Cerberus Nemesis (OC) Probably the most 'together' of Anya's sisters. That isn't saying much.

Jennifer Wilson-Fuentes (Solinus) -Cerberus engineer (OC) Covert Alliance spy and non-mainstream (read lesbian). She is also a mess.

Portia Wilson-Fuentes (Solinus) -Anya's genetic twin (OC) Nine years old and a huge heart

Pedro Wilson Fuentes -Cerberus Cell leader (OC) Anya's father and a master of evil

Karinlina Wilson-Fuentes -Cerberus Cell co-leader (OC) Anya's mother and pretty much evil incarnate. Lots of brains, limited common sense. Hates Anya.

Chris (Solinus)-former Cerberus (OC) Phoenix Vanguard. Current deep cover Alliance agent. Later, Melissa's significant other

Vincent -Former Cerberus agent (OC) Phoenix adept. Current deep cover Alliance agent

Lisa Kornis -Counselor (OC) Former Cerberus, still in contact with other former Cerberus. Sort of still Cerberus, the ideals anyway. Not the practices.

Luci Shin -N7 Shadow Dangerous, dangerous, DANGEROUS Asatru warrior.

* * *

**Salarians**

Valern -Salarian representative to he Citadel Council Still around, still causing trouble.

Drolis -salarian infiltrator (OC) Scary sneaky dude. Will he ever figure out how Anya keeps seeing through his cloak?

Norilossa- salarian dalatross (OC) Bereaved widow. Mother of a member of Anya's team who did not survive the war.

Lindron -salarian dalatross If you played Mass Effect 3, did you want to kill her? I KNOW I did.

* * *

**Krogan**

Urdnot Wrex -Krogan battlemaster Have you PLAYED Mass Effect at ALL?

Eve- Female Krogan shaman Wrex's mate, sort of. He is hers, she is his. Sort of. Are YOU going to argue with them? I wouldn't.

Werlock Brutiz -krogan sentinel (OC) Big, strong, tough and mean. Has two little kids now. Bets on his toughness lasting?

* * *

**Batarian**

Rilma -batarian soldier (OC) Used an assumed name to fight and died saving the team

Bibrikz -batarian sentinel (OC) Just graduated N7 training

Niklos -batarian soldier (OC) Former terrorist. Current badass

* * *

**Asari**

Aria T'Loak -Ruler of Omega I am not going to say ANYTHING. She might take offense...

Tevos -asari representative to the Citadel Council The heart of the Council

Illia -rachni translator (OC) Kind and gentle until you piss her off. Then RUN!

Oeia -asari commando (OC) Vanguard spec

Lorinia -asari commando (OC) Adept spec

Liselle -asari commando (OC) Lorinia's daughter, did not survive Fall of Thessia

Sha'ira -asari consort Only mentioned once, but it was memorable. Being barfed on usually is.

Liara T'Soni -asari archeologist If you don't know who SHE is...

Janusea (Jani) -Liara's daughter with Shepard (OC) Yes, it is very awkward.

* * *

**Turian**

Crado Solinus -turian male Ghost Infiltrator (OC)

Former Colonel with the Amiger Legion. Former general with the N7 Special Ops team. Former private since he can't keep his big mouth shut. Current captain. Anya's significant other. Patriarch of the Solinus clan.

Moduk -turian male Havoc Soldier (OC) Quite and methodical until it's time to not be.

Sparatus- turian representative to the Citadel Council Yes, he is still around. Yes, he is still a jerk.

Garrus Vakarian -turian renegade I am not even going to start...

Nira -turian cabal (OC) Lost her legs below the knees, but not dimmed at all.

Commander Mornis -turian frigate commander (OC) Not as by the book as many turians

Lieutenant Commander Krisal -turian frigate XO (OC) VERY by the book

* * *

**Prothean**

Scholar -prothean Scientist (OC) And SO much more...

Lipa- prothean soldier (OC) Very good at what she does and very brave. Not always as smart as she could be...

Javik -prothean soldier Exemplar of vengeance from the previous cycle

Bri -Awakened Collector Technically she is a Collector, but some call her a prothean. And the protheans have made her welcome.

* * *

**Quarian**

Raanita Vas Merciful Flight -quarian Engineer (OC) Healer with a temper

Joruz vas Merciful Flight -Male quarian engineer (OC) Likes fixing things. Also has a temper.

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy -quarian admiral I don't need to say anything. Do I?

Cado'Nya vas Merciful Flight -quarian child (OC) Raan'ita's firstborn

* * *

**Reaper**

Obligatha -capital class (OC) From an obscure race of builders

Harbinger -capital class The first Reaper

Granli Solinus- marauder (OC) Crado's first mate, her memories came back.

* * *

**Volus**

Tualo Godas-Clan -volus engineer (OC) Has a crush on Anya. Not serious. Multi trillionaire

* * *

This has been a lot of fun to write. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. We may see more of these people. We may not. I THINK Anya and her family have earned some peace and quiet. Well, as much peace and quiet as can be expected with new twins anyway.


End file.
